All At Once
by nowaytoreachme
Summary: Brooke loved her life. Her parents spoiled her constantly, trying to make up for their failed attempt at marriage. What happens when Brooke's mother dies in a car accident, leaving her to live with her father, his girlfriend, & his girlfriends son? AU NB.
1. A Different Life

Brooke loved her life. Her parents spoiled her constantly, trying to make up for their failed attempt at marriage. But, what happens when Brooke's mother, whom she lives with, dies in a car accident, leaving her to live with her father, new girlfriend, and her son? AU NB.

Disclaimer: Don't own OTH.

Chapter One: "A Different Life"

Brooke dropped the heavy box of clothes down on the ground, once she entered her new bedroom. She sighed, taking in her surroundings. Her room was nice, she had to admit. But, her unwillingness of being in this room was not something she could fight. Ever since she had found out about her mother, her world had fallen apart. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear as she walked further into the room. She was tired. She wasn't tired physically, but she was emotionally. She was tired of people constantly asking her if she was okay. Maybe the reason she was so tired was because she hadn't cried. She wouldn't allow herself to. Crying was a sign of weakness and she wasn't going to let herself become weak, not now, not ever. She always prided herself in being a strong person. She wanted to continue to be that person, she had to be, she needed to be.

A knock on the door caused her to glance over her shoulder. It was her father. She smiled sadly before turning her body fully so that she could face him. "Hey Daddy..." She said, slowly. He walked over to her placing his hand on her shoulder. "So, what do you think?" He asked, looking around the room. Brooke nodded, forcing a smile on her lips. "It's...great..." She said, hesitantly. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I know this is going to be an adjustment for you." He said, kissing her forehead. "So," Her father began, as he took a seat on her new bed. "Deb is going to be bringing home some food in a few minutes." Brooke nodded before walking over to him and taking a seat beside him. "You hungry?" He asked. "Yes." She said, nodding her head once again. "Good." He replied.

Silence filled the room. "I love you, kid, you know that?" Her dad asked. Brooke smiled before leaning her head on his shoulder. "Yeah...I know." She said.

-----

Unpacking was a dreadful thing and Brooke couldn't hate it more. She walked down the long stairs, hoping dinner would be ready. She was starving. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she could hear voices in the kitchen. "How's she doing?" She heard her father's girlfriend ask. "She'll be fine." Her dad said. Brooke took this opportunity to walk into the kitchen. Deb was the first to spot her. "Brooke!" She exclaimed, walking over to her and giving her a hug. Brooke had to admit that this is extremely awkward. She had only met this woman a few times, and now she was acting as if they had known eachother for years. She was acting...like a mother. Her mother. Deb pulled away and looked at the girl before her.

"Are you hungry?" She asked. Brooke nodded in response. "Good! Because I brought back a ton of food." Deb said, walking back over to where she had previously been standing. "Don't worry. I didn't have any part in making any of it. It all came from this great little cafe downtown." She added. Brooke looked over at the bag of food and then at her dad, who was reading the newspaper. Her gaze then shifted towards Deb who was staring back at her. "Well, go ahead and eat!" Deb said, with a smile. "Okay." Brooke said, forcing a smile herself. She walked over to the bags and started taking a few things out. "Nathan should be home soon." Deb said once Brooke had placed a few things on a plate nearby. "You haven't met him, have you, Brooke?" She asked. Brooke looked up from gatherine food and shook her head. "No, I haven't." She replied. "That's what I thought. Well, he's a year older than you. Right now, he's at basketball practice. He lives and breathes basketball."

Brooke took a bite of her food; Deb was right, it was good. "This food _is _good, Deb." Brooke said, stating her exact thoughts outloud. "I'm glad you like it." She said, smiling brightly. "Karen, one of my friends owns the place. You'll have to meet her sometime. She has a son that is the same age as Nathan. They play ball together." She added. Brooke smiled. "That's nice." She said. She wasn't really in the mood to be chatty, but she was never one who liked to live in complete silence.

Soon enough she was done eating. Thankfully, Deb and her father had begun a discussion on something in the paper - she didn't know what, and she didn't even bother to ask. She walked over to the counter, placing her plate aside. Just as she did this, she heard the front door slam shut. She looked over to her dad. Deb excused herself before walking in the direction of the noise. "Nathan must be home." Her dad said before going back to reading the newspaper. Brooke walked out of the kitchen and stood right outside the hallway, where Nathan and Deb were. "Nathan...you just can't come in here slamming doors like that. Brooke's here now." She whispered sternly. "Whatever, mom." He said roughly before walking past her. Before Brooke knew it, Nathan was standing right infront of her, catching her eavesdropping. "I, um..." She fumbled over her words not knowing what to say in this situation. He stared at her for what seemed like forever before moving past her, down the rest of the hallway, and into his bedroom.

This was going going to be...interesting.

**Sorry this chapter was so short, but it's just the intro. Please let me know what you think by reviewing! Brooke's family is much different from the show, obviously. She was close with her mother more so than her father. But, that will be explained more in the later chapters. I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter.**


	2. Harder To Breathe

**Thanks for the reviews! They mean a lot to me. Lets see...if you haven't guessed, Nathan is going to be the way he was at the beginning of the show. I just loved him to death then. Lucas is going to be in the story a lot...you will see! Haley and Peyton will also make an appearance, Haley more so than Peyton. That's all for now! Enjoy. :)**

Chapter Two: "Harder to Breathe"

"So, what do you think?" Her father asked as they walked towards the school. It was a lot smaller than her other school, but then again, her old school was in a much larger city than Tree Hill.

"It's nice." She said, simply, making her way towards the entrance. Once they were inside, Brooke waited for her father to guide her throughout the empty hallway. School had started about a half an hour ago, the students were sure to be all in their classrooms at the moment. As much as Brooke would have loved to make an entrance infront of a lot of people, this worked out just fine. She continued to follow her father until he stopped outside a small office at the end of the long hallway.

"You ready?" He asked her, placing his hand on the doorknob. "Yep." She said. "Okay." Her dad said in response, opening the door for her. Brooke walked into the room. She spotted a woman sitting behind a large desk.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked, taking off her glasses to get a better look at the girl infront of her. "Hi. My name's Brooke Davis...this is my first day here..." Brooke's words drifted off as the woman got up from her seat in search for something.

"I'm supposed to meet the principal?" Brooke asked in more of a question than a statement. She was confused by the woman's actions.

"Yes, yes." The woman said finally grabbing what appeared to be a file from underneath a clutter laying upon the desk. "Right this way." The woman said, walking towards a door with the principals name written on it. Before she followed her, Brooke turned her head to look back at her father. He smiled before waving goodbye. Her father had just wanted to take her to school so that she could get to the office without any complications. He had told her that Nathan would give her a ride home. She was not thrilled about this at all. From what she could tell, Nathan was an ass, and she wanted to distance herself as far away as possible from him. However, that wasn't an option now. Clearing her mind of her thoughts, Brooke walked into the office, ready to plaster on a fake, happy smile and impress those who needed to be impressed. One thing her mother had taught her early on: appearances are everything.

"Brooke." She heard the principal said in acknowledgement.

"Hi." She said simply before walking over to him and shaking his hand.

"Welcome to Tree Hill High." He said as he sat back down in his chair.

"Thank you." Brooke said, taking a seat in one of the chairs placed infront of his desk.

"Lets see...we have everything in order for you. Here is your class schedule." He handed her a white slip of paper with the order of her classes listed. Brooke read over the sheet making sure everything looked fine. "We have a student coming by to help you out throughout the day. She's going to show you the ropes, so you will be a Tree Hill veteran in no time!" He exclaimed.

'Oh, joy.' Brooke thought, before looking up from her schedule. "Sounds good. I do have a question though." The principal nodded in response, telling her to continue. "Cheerleading? I, um, I was a cheerleader back at my old school, the captain actually. I was wondering if there was any way I could be one here, or try out?"

"Yes, I saw that you were one through your transcipts. I'm sure that there should be no problem with you being one for us. We would love to have you." He said.

Brooke couldn't help but smile. She loved cheering. It was her passion. It was also the one thing that had knitted such a tight bond between her and her mother. "Great." Brooke said.

A light knock was heard from the other end of the door. Brooke turned around to face the door. The principal got up from his seat and walked over to the door, opening it slightly. "Is she here?" She heard him say. Brooke stood up.

"Alright, Brooke. Your escort is here." He said, leading her outside the small room. Brooke spotted a girl around her age standing before them. She had long blonde hair that was somewhat wavy. "Brooke, this is Haley." The principal said. "Haley James." Haley said as a matter of factly. "Brooke Davis." Brooke said, with a smile. "Alright, well, I will let you girls get on your way. Goodluck, Brooke. And welcome!" He shouted before closing his office door once again.

-----

"What you brings you here?" Haley asked her.

"Um, my mom died, so..." Before Brooke could finish Haley stopped dead in her tracks, making Brooke stop as well.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.." Brooke held her hand up to stop her.

"No, it's fine." Haley looked at her, not believing her. "_Really._" Brooke said, stressing the word with all she could. Haley nodded slowly before she began walking again.

"So, it's just you and your dad?" Haley asked, hoping she didn't sound too much like a nosey, little girl.

"Actually, it's me, my dad, his girlfriend, and her son. Her son goes here, actually." Brooke said, looking over at Haley once they stopped infront of a classroom.

"Oh yeah? Who's her son?" Haley asked before opening the door.

"Nathan Scott." Brooke stated simply.

Haley's mouth dropped slightly, "Nathan Scott!" Brooke sent her a confused look, as did the rest of the students inside the quiet classroom. Haley looked at the students all staring her. After what seemed like hours, she yelled, "Is the greatest basketball player...ever!" Finally, everyone turned their attention back to their studies, but Brooke was still staring at Haley like she was a crazy person. "Sorry." Haley whispered, "But, that boy is bad news." She added, walking over to the teacher's desk. "Wonderful. Not only is he an ass, he's the king of all asses." Brooke mumbled under her breath before following Haley over to the desk.

-----

It was lunchtime and Brooke was sitting with Haley at a random table in the lunchroom. Brooke looked around the large room, watching as kids walked in and out, sat and their designated tables, talking amongst themselves. She liked to observe people. She loved to just watch people interact with one another; this gave her a sense of how people really were...or atleast tried to be. "This food looks gross...as usual." She heard Haley say forcing her out of her trance.

"So...what exactly do you know about Nathan?" Brooke asked her before looking down at her own food.

"Don't you live with him?" Haley asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah..." Brooke said, hesitantely. "But, the first time I ever met him was last night...and you couldn't even call it a meeting." She said, looking up at Haley.

"Well," Haley began, leaning back in her chair, "He's...a jerk." Haley said before laughing slightly. Brooke laughed as well.

"I could tell that much." Brooke said.

"He uses girls. But, most girls don't care because he's Nathan Scott." Haley explained, making air quotes with her fingers. "Right now, he's dating, and by dating, I mean screwing, Rachel Gettina."

"Who's that?" Brooke asked, not having the slighest clue of who she was talking about.

"Her." Haley said, before pointing over to a table surrounded by preppy, popular looking girls. "She's the queen bee, head cheerleader, you know..." Haley added before pushing her food aside. "She's a bitch basically."

Brooke nodded. Apparently, Rachel could feel eyes on her and she turned to see Haley and Brooke looking her way. She gave Haley a slight nod in acknowledgement before rolling her eyes in Brooke's direction. Brooke shook her head and turned around. "She gave you the nod...she must not hate you." Brooke said.

"She only does that because I'm on the squad." Haley said. Brooke quirked an eyebrow. Haley was a cheerleader? She did not look like she fell into that category in the slighest.

"So, then why don't you eat with her?" Brooke asked.

"Because..." Haley said, searching for the right words. "...I don't like her." Brooke laughed. "Well, the principal said I could be on the squad. I used to cheer at my old school."

"Were you any good?" Haley asked.

"I guess." Brooke said, shrugging slightly, "I was the head cheerleader."

Haley nodded. "Oh, so you used to be the bitch?" She asked.

"Pretty much." Brooke said, the tone in her voice had a bit of laughter behind it. "But things change." She said, truthfully. Things for her had changed. Things made her feel weaker, they made her feel more vulnerable.

"Peyton!" Haley yelled. A taller, curly hair blonde walked over to the table.

"Hey." She said with a smile. She looked down at Brooke. "Who's this?" She asked.

"Peyton, this is Brooke. Brooke, Peyton." Peyton waved slightly, as Brooke smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Brooke's going to be joining us on the squad, as well." Haley added.

Peyton sat down besides Brooke. "Oh, good! We need all the help we can with _that one _in charge." She said, looking over at Rachel.

The three were silent for a moment before Brooke spotted Nathan walk into the lunchroom. Right as he walked in, Rachel made her way over to him. "Are you coming over later?" She asked him in a low whisper.

He glanced over at her, "I'll think about it." And with that, he walked towards a group of guys sitting to the left of Rachel's table.

"Did you tell Brooke about Nathan, Hales?" Peyton asked, turning her attention back to their small group.

"Brooke knows about him. She lives with him." Haley said.

"What?" Peyton asked, her eyes widened at the comment.

"His mom's dating my dad." Brooke said, slowly trying to not feel like an idiot the way Peyton was looking at her. Brooke then shook her head. Just as Brooke was about to speak, Nathan walked past their table, staring dead at her. She couldn't read his features, but she knew he wasn't going to run up to her, hug her, and ask to be good friends. No, it was _far _from that. He didn't take his eyes from her own the entire time.

Once Nathan reached his destination, another table full of guys, Brooke looked over at Peyton and Haley. They were both staring at her. "What?" She asked.

Haley held her hands up in defense and Peyton just looked away.

"That was a little...intense." Peyton mumbled.

-----

"Do you have to take the bus home?" Haley asked Brooke as they walked outside the school after the final bell had rung. Brooke had to admit, this day was not what she expected. The school was so different from her last one. However, she was glad she had made a friend in Haley.

"No. I have to ride home with Nathan." Brooke replied. Haley laughed.

"Good luck with that." Haley said.

"Yeah, I just need to find his car first." Brooke said, looking around the parking lot. "

Black mustang...right there." Haley said, pointing to the left.

"Thanks." Brooke said, thankful that Haley had helped her so much throughout the day.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow...when we have to come back to this hell. Oh, and don't forget cheerleading practice tomorrow!" Haley shouted as she walked away.

Brooke laughed before shaking her head. Haley sure was something. She made her way over to Nathan's car. She received a few weird looks as she walked over to his car, but it didn't phase her. She had been stared at the whole day like she was an alien; she was used to it though.

-----

She paced back and forth around Nathan's car. She had been waiting for what seemed like hours. She had wanted to call her dad, but unfortunately she left her phone at the house that day. Brooke leaned her back against the car, glancing down at her watch. When she looked back up, she saw two figures walking towards the parking lot; a boy and a girl. As they walked closer, she could see that it was Nathan and Rachel. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at the sight. She could tell by Nathan's look that he was not happy to see her. What was his problem? He didn't even know her and yet he was acting as if she was his enemy. Rachel whispered something to Nathan and Brooke could only imagine the horrible things that were being said about her.

"What took you so long?" Brooke asked, fed up with this whole ordeal. Nathan just looked at her.

"I'll see you later, Nate." Rachel said, before capturing her lips with his own in a chaste kiss. "Call me." She said before winking at him and walking away.

Brooke wanted to gag, but she fought back the urge. She just wanted to go home...or atleast back to the house that was supposed to be her home. Nathan walked over to the driver's side and unlocked the car. He got in, tossing his backpack in the back of the car. "O-kay." Brooke said to herself outloud, before opening the door on the passenger's side and getting in. She slammed the door shut, making Nathan look her way. "Sorry." She mumbled quietly before putting her seatbelt on. She had no idea why she was apologizing, but she was. Nathan had that affect on a lot of people. Nathan then turned on the car, and backed out of the parking spot.

Throughout the entire ride home, complete silence filled the car. Nathan hadn't even turned on the radio, and Brooke was not about to do it herself. She would look at him out of the corner of her eye. He had a blank look on his face everytime she looked his way. She sighed heavily, not being able to take the silence anymore.

"Look, I get it, you don't like me. But, I didn't do a single thing wrong here. I don't even know you...you don't know me, and you're already judging me. How is that fair?" She asked him. She looked over at him.

Once again, he said nothing.

"It's not fair. At all. I know this whole situation is weird for you, but it is for me too..." She continued talking as Nathan turned into the driveway and parked the car. "So, maybe, I don't know..." Brooke placed her hand on the door handle and opened the door somewhat. "..Maybe you could atleast look at me like you don't completely hate me. And maybe you could atleast respond when I talk--" She was cut off as Nathan reached over, putting his hand on hers to stop her from getting out of the car and to stop her from talking.

"I don't talk because I don't want to. But you know what?" He asked making it so that his face was on inches from her own. He was speaking in an angry tone, and Brooke just listened, not knowing what else to do. "I'll work on it, if that means that you will be quiet for two seconds. Okay?"

"Yeah." Brooke whispered, not taking her eyes from his own. "Great." Nathan replied sarcastically. He took his hand from her own and moved away from her. He then got out of the car and walked towards the house. Once he was inside, Brooke laid her head back against the headrest as she tried to get her breathing back to a normal pace.

**Hope you liked it! Please review! I know Nathan and Rachel are kind of random, but I really wanted to have Rachel in this story. Also, there will be a lot more NB in the next chapter. Sorry for just a little in this one, but I wanted to establish Brooke and Haley's friendship. **

**Also, I revised this for those who could not read it due to the fact that I did not space it out as much as I should. I apologize. Thank you to those who were nice and understanding about it, I appreciate it, and apologize once again. :)**


	3. Confusion

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. I appreciate them so much, really. I fixed the last chapter, for those who said it was hard to read. I'm sorry. Thank you to those who were not rude about it. I appreciate that. :) Here's the next chapter. Like I said, Lucas will be in this story, but this is not ending as a BL fic. (I'm not a fan, sorry.) He will be in this though, I'm not going to tell you about his role. Don't wanna give too much away! Anyways, hope you like it! Please review if you want me to continue.**

Chapter Three: "Confusion"

She wanted to sleep, however she couldn't. As Brooke laid in bed, she began tossing and turning every way possible. Dinner had been a disaster. She had sat in her seat, quietly, answering questions about her day; Deb had wanted to know _all _about it. Brooke wanted to like her...she really did, but for some reason she couldn't help but be turned off by this whole situation. She took a sip from her water glass as she sat in the kitchen downstairs. Back at her other house, she would always come to the kitchen in middle of the night had something been on her mind. It was comforting, especially since her mother would find her down there at all hours of the night. She would always know how to take care of her when she was in need.

**Flashback**

_It was 2:45 in the morning and Brooke was drowning her sorrows over cookies and cream ice cream. It had been the day of her 16th birthday and her father had sent a small card, plus a few dollars. It had upset her because he promised that he would come visit her, and take her out for the day. But, just like his other promises, it fell through. She looked up to see her mom walking towards her. She smiled sadly. "Hey kid." Her mother said before taking a seat infront of her._

_"Hey." Brooke mumbled as she let go of the spoon and sat back in her chair. _

_"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" The older woman asked her daughter._

_Brooke shook her head not wanting to talk about it._

_Her mother nodded slowly before placing her hand over Brooke's. "Alright." She said quietly, understanding that Brooke didn't want to tell her what exactly was going on. "Brooke, I know your dad disappoints you...a lot, but he loves you, you know that." She paused a moment before continuing, "I know that doesn't make things feel any better, but you will understand eventually."_

_Brooke looked up at her mother, slight tears in her eyes. She fought them, however, not wanting to show any sign of weakness. _

_"You're a strong girl, my dear...But, sometimes you just have to let it out." She heard her mom say. _

_A single tear ran down her cheek before Brooke quickly wiped it away. "I will always be here for you, no matter what. Just remember that." Her mother whispered before pulling her daughter into a hug._

**End of Flashback**

Brooke's head fell in her hands and she began to cry. She cried for the first time since her mother's death. As the memories came back to her mind, she couldn't hold anything back anymore. She had been feeling so many emotions lately. She was furious that her mother had been taken from her. Her mother had promised she would always be with her and now she was gone, and there was no way of bringing her back. She felt confused, and alone. She had her father, but it wasn't the same. He wouldn't know how she was feeling. He wouldn't know how to make it all go away.

She was torn away from her thoughts as the kitchen light was turned on. Brooke quickly wiped away her tears before looking up to see who had entered the kitchen. It was _him_. Nathan took one look at Brooke before he looked down.

"Great." Brooke mumbled. She brought her hands up to her cheeks to make sure the evidence of her tears had vanished. "What are you doing up?" Brooke asked as she rose from her seat at the table.

"Couldn't sleep." He stated before walking over the fridge and opening the door to get a look inside.

"Me either." Brooke said quietly before setting her empty glass into the sink. She turned to see Nathan take the carton of milk out of the fridge and pour himself a glass. Apparently, Nathan caught her glance out of the corner of his eye. He looked over at her. He could still see the tears in her eyes, the tears she was obviously fighting to hold back.

"You okay?" He asked, surprising both Brooke and himself. Brooke nodded slowly in response. She was far from okay. However, the last thing she wanted was someone feeling sorry for her.

She walked past him, in an attempt to leave the kitchen. However, she didn't. She was beginning to regret her outburst, if you could call it that, that had happened that afternoon. She didn't necessarily regret voicing her opinion, just the way she had decided to voice it. She turned around to face Nathan. "Nathan..." Brooke began. Nathan looked over at her expectantly. "I'm sorry about earlier." She said.

Nathan nodded before turning his back towards her.

She smiled before turning around and walking out of the kitchen. Atleast it was a step in the right direction...or so she thought.

-----

"Brooke, you're going to be fine." Haley said, placing a supportive hand on Brooke's shoulder. Brooke had been nervous about this all day - cheer practice. Brooke, Haley, and Peyton were the first ones to be at the gym before practice.

"Yeah, Brooke, just watch out for Rachel." Peyton said, making at face as she mentioned Rachel's name.

Brooke nodded. Rachel had been the last thing on her mind until Peyton had brought it up. All Brooke wanted was to fit in, but for some reason she was sure Rachel wasn't going to allow it.

"Here we go." Peyton mumbled as Rachel struted into the gym. She walked towards them, quirking an eyebrow once her gaze landed on Brooke.

"I see we have a guest." Rachel spoke, dullely. "Can I help you?" She asked, staring directly at Brooke.

Brooke just stood there not knowing what to say. Suddenly, she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. Haley took a step in front of Brooke, so that she was now standing between her and Rachel. "Brooke's a part of the team now." Haley said.

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, really?" She asked in a haughty tone.

"Yep." Peyton said with a smile, answering for both Brooke and Haley.

"Says who?" Rachel asked, clearly looking at Brooke.

"Principal Green." Haley said.

As much as Brooke loved that her new friends were defending her, she wanted to be able to stand up to Rachel herself.

"Whatever." Rachel replied before rolling her eyes. "Well, we prefer our cheerleaders to be loud and outspoken...so, instead of just standing there, maybe you could work on that?" She asked before giving Brooke a glare, and walking towards the locker room.

"Oh, I'll work on it alright." Brooke said, once Rachel had entered the locker room. She let out a groan before looking towards Haley and Peyton.

"She likes you...I can tell." Haley said, sarcastically, as she grabbed Brooke's arm and pulled her towards the locker room to change.

-----

Brooke let out a heavy sigh once she was done taking a sip from her water bottle. Rachel had been on her ass the entire practice, while everyone else was encouraging and helpful. _"Your arms are wrong, Brooke.", "You're not yelling loud enough, Brooke."_ She closed her eyes as the images of Rachel scolding her actions flashed through her mind. "Ugh." Brooke let out loudly, as she threw her bottle down angrily.

"Whoa." She heard coming from behind her. She turned around to see a tall, blonde headed boy staring at her. "Now, what exactly did that innocent bottle do to you?" He asked.

Brooke laughed, trying to cover up her embarrassment. "Just not a good day." She said, honestly.

"Tell me about it." The boy replied before holding out his hand. "Lucas Roe."

Brooke smiled before she took his hand in hers and shook it firmly. "Brooke Davis." She said.

As Lucas was about to speak, someone called his name from across the gym. Both Brooke and Lucas turned to see who it was.

"Breaks over." Nathan yelled, staring directly at Lucas. Lucas nodded, and Nathan then stalked over to the rest of his team.

Brooke turned her attention back to Lucas. "I guess you better go." She said, finally releasing her hand from his grasp.

Lucas nodded. "I guess you're right." He said as he picked up the basketball on the ground by his feet. "It was nice meeting you...Brooke Davis." He added before jogging back over to the group of guys.

She watched as Lucas' retreating form. Her eyes then landed on Nathan who turned his head to meet her gaze. She smiled slightly, but her smile quickly faded once he turned his head after sending her a blank stare.

He was so confusing.

-----

Brooke and Haley exited the locker room side by side once they had said their goodbyes to Peyton, who was still changing. "So, what'd you think?" Haley asked, stopping to get a better look at her friend.

Brooke hesitated, trying to find the right words. Had she hated it? No, she hadn't. Had she loved it? That was a different story. She felt like she was trying to prove herself the entire time, not to just Rachel, but also to all of the girls. She had forgotten how hard it was to fit in at a new school where everyone was watching you, destined to find your biggest flaws. "It was...fine." She mumbled, not looking Haley directly in the eye.

Haley nodded. "Right." She wasn't buying Brooke's confession in the slightest. "It will get better." She said, placing a comforting hand on Brooke's shoulder.

"I hope so." Brooke said, before she started looking around the gym. She was trying to see if Nathan had come out yet. She wasn't sure if he was her ride home or if she'd have to find one herself.

"You need a ride?" Haley asked, as if she were reading the thoughts coarsing through Brooke's mind.

"That'd be great." Brooke said, smiling down at her friend.

"Okay. Just let me go get a few books out of my locker and we can go." She said. Brooke nodded in response before Haley mumbled a "be right back" and walked out of the gym doors.

Brooke leaned her body against the wall behind her. The gym was pretty much empty. Occasionally, a few guys from the basketball team would walk out of the locker room, but none of them were Nathan. She began to think that maybe he had just left without giving any consideration as to whether or not he had to take her home. 'Typical.' She thought to herself. She must have been crazy to think that Nathan was warming up to her. He was probably only being nice to her the previous night due to the mere fact of seeing her in tears. She shook her head at her own stupidity.

"Hey." She heard, causing her to look up. She smiled. She had been so consumed by her thoughts that she hadn't heard someone walk up to her.

"Hey Lucas." She said.

"You okay?" He asked her. She was touched that he seemed genuinely concerned about her.

She nodded before replying, "Yeah. I'm fine." She paused. "...Just thinking." She added before looking down.

He tilted his head forward so that he could make eye contact with her. "Need a ride?" He asked.

"I actually..." Brooke's voice halted at the sound of another.

"She's with me." Someone said from behind Lucas. Lucas turned his head to see who was behind him, and Brooke moved to the side to get a better look. Her mouth dropped slightly once she say Nathan standing there.

"Oh." Was all that Lucas said before he turned his attention back to Brooke. "Well, I guess I will see you tomorrow." He added with a smile.

Brooke smiled, as well. "Yeah." She said, nodding.

Lucas gave Nathan a nod before he walked past Brooke and out of the gym. Brooke looked over at Nathan; he mimicked her actions. Then, without a word, he followed Lucas' lead and exited the gym as well.

Brooke sighed loudly before she began jogging after Nathan, trying to catch up to him.

**I know I said there would be a lot of NB interaction, but there wasn't...I'm sorry! I am having somewhat of writer's block and it was hard finishing up this chapter. I hope you still liked it nonetheless. Coming up...Brooke's first party in Tree Hill. She decides to relax and have fun, but will she get a little too carried away? I guess you'll have to wait and see. Please review! I love reading what you all have to say. **


	4. A Feeling Suddenly Lost

**Wow...thank you all so much for the reviews! I am so thankful, really. As some of you asked, this is definitely a NB story, not a BL one. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! Please review. The more reviews I get, the faster I update. ;)**

Chapter Four: "A Feeling Suddenly Lost"

Brooke dropped her bags on the kitchen floor as she entered the house. She had gotten a ride with Nathan after telling Haley that he was still around and offering to take her home. Nathan had been silent the entire ride, but that didn't shock Brooke at all. She had thought that maybe Nathan was being protective when Lucas had been talking to her, but then she realized that was an absurb assumption. During the ride, she found her eyes drifting in Nathan's direction quite often. How could he be so unreadable? While she found his behavior quite annoying at times, she couldn't help but be intrigued.

"Brooke." Deb said as she walked into the kitchen. Brooke smiled out of formality as she looked over at the woman. "How was it?" Deb asked her. Brooke took in a deep breath.

"It was a great." She said, answering in an extra cheery voice, and flashing an ultra fake smile. Deb smiled down at her before patting her on her shoulder.

Nathan walked in, interrupting the moment between his mother and Brooke. "Nathan!" Deb exclaimed, walking over to him. She embraced him in a hug; a hug that Nathan did not look like he enjoyed at all. Brooke looked away, trying to keep her eyes focused everywhere but at the loving mother and her son. "I'm just gonna..." She didn't bother to finish her sentence as she grabbed her bags and walked to her room quickly.

-----

Standing infront of her full length mirror, Brooke smoothed over the slight wrinkles on her black miniskirt. She was getting ready for a party Haley called her about. "This is why I hate packing." She mumbled, as she continued to run her fingers over the material. All of her things had yet to be unpacked, meaning all of her clothes had wrinkles. She wasn't about to start learning how to iron. She walked out of her bedroom, down the hall towards the bathroom. She flipped on the light switch, causing the tiny room to lighten at the gesture. She had turned on her straightener before she had put on her outfit. She glanced at the straightener and then at the wrinkles in her skirt. "Hmm." She thought outloud. After shrugging slightly, she grabbed the straightener and brought it down to her skirt, trying to get out as much wrinkle as possible.

Nathan began walking down the hall after leaving the kitchen. He spotted Brooke in the bathroom. He furrowed his brows in confusion. "What are _you _doing?" He asked.

Brooke looked up to see Nathan standing infront of her. "I am ironing my skirt." She said simply, before going back to her task at hand.

"That doesn't look like an iron to me." He said before rolling his eyes. She was definitely...different.

"Well, it straightens my hair." She said before looking up.

"Yeah, but..." Nathan began, trying to find the words to match up to her lunacy.

"OW!" Brooke yelled. She dropped her straightener on the floor before grasping her finger tightely.

Nathan shook his head before walking into the bathroom. He turned on the faucet, making sure the water was cold. He then grabbed Brooke's finger, placed it under the water, and rubbed gently over the burn as the cool water hit it.

"Ow." Brooke said again as the water hit her finger.

"You're such a baby." Nathan said as he looked down at her. Brooke looked up, sending him a glare.

The moment her eyes hit his, her features softened. She hadn't realized how close they were standing until now. His chest was touching her own. She could feel his heart beating, and she prayed to God that hers wasn't pounding as heavily as it felt. Brooke's eyes then wandered to his hand around her sore finger. She took a deep breath before looking back up at him; her eyes meeting his once again. "You should be more careful." He mumbled.

"Yeah." She whispered softly.

"Is everything okay?" Deb asked from behind them interrupting the 'moment'. Brooke and Nathan both turned to see her standing there, concern written all over her face. "I heard Brooke yell." She added.

"I'm fine, Deb." Brooke managed to say. She watched as Nathan took his hand away from her own. She groaned inwardly at the loss of contact.

Nathan looked down at her before walking out of the bathroom, towards his room.

"Are you sure you're okay, sweetie?" Deb asked once again. Brooke nodded before leaning down to pick up the straightener. 'Just _great.' _She thought to herself.

-----

"Brooke!" Haley screamed from Peyton's car. She watched as Brooke exited the house, making her way towards the car. "You look hot." She said. Brooke spun around for them before laughing outloud. She had decided to wear a white decorative spaghetti strap top with the short black skirt she had tried to de-wrinkle earlier.

"Thanks." She said, opening the passenger door and getting in.

"So, B. Davis, are you ready for your first Tree Hill party?" Peyton asked looking over at her friend.

"Hell yes!" Brooke exclaimed, clasping her hands together. Haley had promised her a good time when she called her on the phone to tell her about the party.

"Then, lets go!" Haley yelled from the backseat.

Peyton put the car in drive and made her way down the narrow street.

-----

Brooke, Haley, and Peyton walked inside the crowded house, taking in the sight before them. To Haley and Peyton, things looked normal, however, Brooke was still getting used to the atmosphere. It wasn't the party atmosphere per say that she was getting adjusted to, it was the people in the party atmosphere. "So, what do ya think?" Haley asked, her voice a little louder than usual in an effort to be heard over the loud music. Brooke looked over at Haley and smiled in response before walking further into the house. Both Haley and Peyton sent one another a look before following Brooke.

"We're going to go talk to some of the girls." Peyton said, pointing over to a few of the girls from the squad. "You want to come?" She asked Brooke.

Brooke shook her head. "I think I'm going to go get a drink and then I will meet you over there." She said.

Peyton nodded before her and Haley walked over to the girls, hugging each one of them.

Brooke turned around, her eyes roaming the room in search for the drink table. She spotted the table in the corner and walked over to it. She poured herself a drink, not hesitating to take a sip once her cup had been filled. "What's up?" A guy next to her said. She turned her head to get a better look at him. The boy was maybe two inches taller than her, with dark brown hair. She sent him an uneasy smile. "I'm Tim." He said, sending her a nod.

"I'm Brooke." She replied before taking another sip. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him.

"I know." He said before walking closer to her. Brooke quirked an eyebrow. "I also know that you've got a thing for me...which I mean, is understandable, because...look at me." He said, gesturing to himself. Brooke began laughing uncontrollably. Was he serious?

Tim just stared at her. "Look, Jim...I'm sorry, but I don't think I've ever met or seen you before...ever." She said to him.

Tim sighed heavily. "It's Tim." He said sadly before walking away.

Brooke bit her lip. She felt kind of bad for the guy. She shook her head before bringing her cup back up to her lips and taking a sip.

"That was kind of...sad." Lucas said walking up next to her. Brooke looked over at him and smiled. "He just wants some lovin'." He added before smiling down at her.

Brooke laughed. "Sorry to say he won't be getting any from me."

Lucas nodded. "Having fun?" He asked.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "I guess you could say that." She said.

"So, where's the Mr. Hot Shot?" He asked.

Brooke sent him a confused look, not knowing who or what he was talking about. "Nathan." Lucas said, getting the clue that Brooke was slightly confused with his question.

"O-h." She said, dragging out the 'o'. "I think he's here somewhere. He left the house before I did, so..." She added, looking around the room trying to find him.

"The house?" Lucas asked.

"Um, yeah..." Brooke answered. "We live in the same house." She looked up at him. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she didn't want him getting any strange ideas. "His mom and my dad are kind of...involved."

Lucas nodded. "Right." Brooke shook her head before taking another sip from her cup. "Speaking of." She heard Lucas say. She looked over at him, to see him point in the direction of the door. She spotted Nathan and Rachel walking inside. She rolled her eyes at the sight of them. From the time Nathan left the bathroom until now, Brooke had to convince herself that what had happened meant nothing. She would be childish to think that it had indeed meant something at all. He was just reacting to a situation like any other person would.

She watched as Rachel clung to Nathan like he belonged to her, as if he were her property. Brooke took another sip of her drink, but this time, she finished the rest of the cup before reaching back and filling it up some more. This was going to be a long night.

-----

An hour later, Brooke was finishing up her fourth drink. Haley and Peyton would walk over to her from time to time, checking to see if she was okay. She would nod and say everything was great. Then, she would tell them to go on and stop worrying about her. If you were to ask Brooke the first time she starting drinking, she couldn't tell you. She had grown somewhat of a tolerance, a tolerance that was wearing off now after four drinks. She stumbled slightly as she walked outside in need of air. On the front porch was a swing. She fell back on to it, muttering an "ow" as her back hit the wooden seat. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back slightly, as the cool air hit her body.

"Brooke, are you okay?" She heard a masculine voice ask her. She opened one eye to look at the person standing infront of her. It was Lucas.

Brooke sat up, placing her hands on her bare knees. "You know...I really wish...people would stop asking me that." She said slowly.

Lucas kneeled down so that he was now at her level. "We're just worried about you." He said.

"Why? Just because my mother died does not mean that I need any help." She said, leaning back in the chair and crossing her arms over her chest.

Lucas looked at her sadly. He had no idea that her mother had died. But then again, he had just met this girl.

"Don't look at me like that." She said, taking her eyes away from him, and closing them. A single tear slid down her cheek.

"Let's get you home." Lucas said, sympathy streaming through his voice. Brooke shook her head.

"No, Lucas." She said, sternly. "I'm sorry. I appreciate it, I really do...but I just want to be alone right now."

Lucas nodded slowly. "Okay." He said, getting up from his kneeling position. "If you need me, I'll be inside."

"Thanks." Brooke said.

She watched as Lucas walked back inside. She never wanted to be rude to him, that wasn't her intention. However, right now, her sadness and anger was getting the best of her, and she had no way of controlling it. She also didn't trust him quite yet. Yes, he was nice, but she barely knew him.

As she was collecting her thoughts, she heard the front door open. Brooke couldn't tell who it was because of the large wall to her right, blocking her vision. "You are such an ass!" She heard a girl yell. The voice sounded familiar to her. "Would it kill you to acknowledge me when you're with the guys?" The girl asked. Brooke heard mumbling coming from the other side of the conversation. She wasn't one to eavesdrop, but...she just couldn't help it at the moment. "I'm so sick of this Nathan." Brooke eyes widened slightly at the mention of the name. It was Nathan...and R_achel._ "You come to my house, screw me, and then we come here and you ignore me!" Rachel yelled in Nathan's direction.

"Don't just stand there, saying something!" She exclaimed.

"What do you want me to say?" Nathan asked.

Rachel shook her head at his question. "Nothing. Nothing at all!" She said, walking down the porch stairs. Brooke could now see her. She turned around to look at him once more. "We're done." And with that, she was gone.

Nathan walked further out into the open. Brooke looked over at him. He turned his head in her direction. She sent him a sad smile. Nathan then slowly made his way over to her, taking a seat next to her on the swing.

They sat in silence for quite some time, Brooke not knowing what to say, and Nathan not wanting to say anything at all. Finally, Nathan looked over at her. "You wanna get out of here?" He asked.

Brooke nodded slowly before looking his way. "Sure." She said in a whisper. Suddenly, the feeling of wanting to be alone was no longer something she wanted.

**Love it, like it, hate it? Let me know! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Suddenly Everything Has Changed

**Sorry I haven't updated, I've been on vacation. Thank you all sooo much for the reviews! And a big thank you to Nonna (writie) for helping me with some of this chapter! I enjoy reading all of your messages. So, thank you once again! Okay...here is the next update as you can see. Hope you like it! **

Chapter 5: "Suddenly Everything Has Changed"

Brooke tightened the hold she had of her seatbelt as Nathan sped down the road. Clearly, he was not in a good mood. She looked over at him, only to see his eyes fixated on the street before him. "So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?" Brooke asked him.

Nathan turned his head, catching her eyes with his own. "What was what all about?" He asked, finally looking away and straight ahead. Brooke let out a sigh, knowing that he wasn't going to play this game - pretending like he had no idea what she was talking about.

Brooke remained silent. She had decided she wasn't going to try to talk to him if he wasn't going to try to do the same.

"We're done. Plain and simple." He replied, causing Brooke to look at him surprised. She wasn't surprised at what he had said, it was that he had said anything at all.

"Plain and simple?" She asked, knowing it was never that simple.

"Not many people like her. She's a bitch, and annoying as hell. Then again, she's hot and she's a got a few other good...qualities." He said, looking over at her.

She shook her head, making a face of disgust, "Where are we going exactly?" She asked, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

Nathan shrugged his shoulder, his hands still gripping the steering wheel tightly. Brooke let out another sigh, this time it was even heavier than than before. Nathan looked over at her, sensing that she was getting frustrated with him. Usually, he would roll his eyes and not care whether or not the person was happy with him, but, with her, it was different. He didn't know why, he didn't know how to explain it, but that's just how it was.

"A place I go sometimes to think.." He said. Brooke looked up at him, not expecting to get an answer. She smiled slightly before Nathan looked away once again.

It wasn't long before Nathan stopped the car. Brooke looked around, not knowing where exactly they were. However, that wasn't uncommon for her. She was still learning her way around Tree Hill; everything was still so new. She watched as Nathan exited the car; she soon did the same. She shut the door behind her as she stood close by the car, taking in her surroundings. A few trees were placed amongst the land, and in the center was a basketball court. Running alongside the area, was some water. The lights of the buildings reflected against the water. Brooke couldn't help but like the place.

Nathan walked to the center of the court before turning back to look at Brooke. She finally walked towards him, and he lead her to one of the few picnic tables placed around them. He sat down on the top of the table, as did Brooke. "I like it here." She whispered. Nathan nodded before looking over at her. Her eyes were surrounded by tears, something he definitely wasn't expecting to see. He could tell she was fighting to keep them hidden where no one could see.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"This reminds me of a place my mom used to take me when I was younger." She said. Brooke kept herself from looking in is direction.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have -"

"No." Brooke said, placing her hand on his arm. "There is no way you could have known." She paused, taking in a deep breath. "It's a good reminder."

A few minutes passed as they sat in silence. "I know it's not the same, but I can relate." Nathan said quietly. Brooke turned her attention towards him, interested in what he was saying. "Growing up, my dad was never around. And he made it known the minute he left my mom and me, that he wanted nothing to do with us."

Brooke closed her eyes as she shook her head slowly. She gave Nathan's arm a gentle squeeze. "I wish there was something I could do to make things easier for you." He mumbled. She watched as he spoke those words. His guard was slowly falling down and she could tell it was hard for him to admit what he just had said.

Slowly, Brooke brought her lips to the side of his face, kissing him softly. "Thank you." She whispered against his cheek before pulling away.

-----

Brooke slammed her hand down against the off button to her alarm. She groaned loudly as she sat up in bed, opening her eyes slowly.

Once her eyes were fully open and well adjusted, she got out of her bed, making her way out the door, towards the kitchen. She needed coffee.

As she entered the kitchen, she spotted Deb and her father standing over a mass amont of luggage. She furrowed her brow in confusion, taking a few steps further into the kitchen. "Morning, kiddo." Her dad said, smiling down at her.

She smiled slightly. "Um..." She paused, taking another look at the bags lying on the floor. "Going somewhere?" She asked, looking back up at him.

"I thought I told you." He stated, taking the cup of coffee that Deb had just handed to him.

"Told me what?" Brooke questioned.

"I'm going on a business trip for a week and Deb's coming along." He said, taking a sip from his coffee cup.

"Oh." Brooke said, not expected to hear him say that. She didn't know what upset her more: the fact that her father hadn't told her about the trip until just now or that he was going to be gone for a week when she had only been there for about a month. She let out the breath that she had been holding. Her father glanced her way once more before picking up the newspaper before him.

"Morning, Nathan." Deb said, causing Brooke to look over at the boy who had just walked into the kitchen. She hadn't talked to him since their 'talk'. She was hoping things would get a lot better between her and Nathan, but they just seemed to become worse than before. He would casually walk by her, without even glancing in her direction time and time again.

Deb looked at the clock on the kitchen wall and let out a heavy sigh. "Sweetie, we're going to be late if we don't leave soon."

Brooke watched as her father nodded towards Deb. He leaned down, giving Brooke a quick kiss on the forehead. "Nathan, you take care of my baby girl, okay?"

Nathan looked up from pouring himself a glass of orange juice. "O-kay." He mumbled.

Deb walked over to her son and hugged him briefly. "Money is on the counter and all the numbers are on the fridge." She paused before adding, "No parties, Nathan." She knew her son far too well.

Nathan rolled his eyes as Deb pulled away from him and walked over to her bags, picking up as many as she could from the floor. She walked out the door, leaving Brooke, her father, and Nathan in the kitchen. Brooke's dad picked up the luggage that was left behind. "See you in a week!" He yelled before he was out the door.

Brooke looked over to see Nathan drinking down the rest of his glass. He put the empty cup down on the counter before walking back towards his room. She picked up the empty cup once he was gone and placed it in the sink, before leaving the kitchen herself.

-----

"He didn't even tell you he was leaving?" Haley asked, her mouth dropping slightly. Brooke had spent her entire first period complaining to Haley about her father and the incident that had occurred that morning.

"No." Brooke replied, anger streaming through her voice. "Why does he do that?" She asked a loud.

"I don't know. You know him way better than I do. I haven't even met the guy yet." Haley said in her own defense.

"Well, seeing as how he doesn't want to be near me at all, you may never meet him." Brooke said sadly.

Haley placed her hand on Brooke's forearm. "You know that's not true." She stated sternly. Brooke shrugged her shoulders in response.

"I'm done thinking about this." She added, wanting desperately to change the subject.

"So, where exactly did you go after the party?" Haley asked, changing the subject. She smiled brightly at Brooke.

Brooke stiffled a laugh. "I left with Nathan."

"You mean you left with him? Or **_left_** with him?" Haley inquired.

Brooke shook her head. "Okay, our parents are dating, ya know."

"Your point?" Haley asked.

"We just went somewhere quiet after his little breakup scene with Rachel. We went to the rivercourt...that's what it's called, right?"

"The rivercourt. A perfect place to get a little down and dirty. Nathan tried something, didn't he? I told you that boy was bad news." Haley told her.

"He didn't try anything. We just sat in silence most of the time." Brooke explained to her friend.

"So, you two are getting along?" Haley asked.

Brooke shrugged not knowing how to answer that particular question. Were they? They had been getting along that night, but recently, he was rather distant. Brooke didn't understand why he was acting this way. She hadn't done anything wrong, had she? He had opened up to her and now he was closing her off completely. "He's confusing. That's all I can say."

"The hot ones usually are." Haley replied.

Brooke quirked an eyebrow in her direction.

"What?" Haley asked, holding her hands up in defense. "I may have said he's bad news, but I didn't say he was bad lookin'."

Brooke laughed loudly before giving Haley's arm a friendly push. "I guess." She said.

She _knew._

------

"Alright, Dad." Brooke said into the phone. She had been talking to her dad for about ten minutes now. He was telling her about how beautiful it was in Colorado; something she didn't exactly want to hear right now. "Love you, too." Brooke hung up the phone and walked down the hallway. She was ready to get out of the house. She had gotten a call from Haley earlier asking her to come over and hang out. It was times like these when Brooke wished her dad would go ahead and get her a car. She had been sixteen for quite awhile and was sick of not being able to have her own mode of transportation. Her dad had promised her a car, but what a surprise, his promise fell through.

She made her way towards Nathan's room, knocking quickly before opening the door. "Nathan, I need a - " She stopped speaking once she saw the sight before her. There infront of her, were Nathan and Rachel going at it fiercely. "Oh God." Brooke said, backing out of the bedroom and slamming the door shut.

Brooke leaned against the shut door behind her, closing her eyes in attempt to block out the image of Rachel lying ontop of a shirtless Nathan. She walked towards her room, shutting the door quickly.

A few minutes after she had entered her room, Nathan opened the door and stepped inside. He looked rather annoyed..if not completely pissed off. "What the hell was that?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Brooke replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Did you need something?" He asked harshly, causing Brooke to bring her arms even closer to her body.

"I didn't _need_ to see that." She said quietly.

Nathan laughed. "Oh, get over it. You're acting like a little girl right now."

Brooke's mouth dropped slightly. How dare he say that to her. He was completely wrong about that. How did he expect her to act? Did he want her to throw a condom his way and slap him on the back?

"So what? You walked in on us. Big fucking deal." He added, walking closer to her.

"I thought you two were done? The things you said about her the other night. I guess those were all lies, right?"

"They weren't lies, but things change." Nathan replied, in somewhat of a cocky tone.

"Things change? In a few days? Whatever." Brooke's anger was growing more and more by the second. "Maybe you should start thinking with your brain, as opposed to.." She looked down his body until he eyes reached their final destination.

Nathan laughed once again. "As opposed to what?" He asked, pretending as if he didn't know what she was talking about. He continued to walk closer to her, until he was just a few steps infront of her.

"You know what? Why don't you just get the hell out of my room!" She yelled.

"Your room...Right." Nathan said. He stepped even closer, placing his hands on the desk behind her. Brooke backed up until her lower body hit the desk. "Last time I checked, this house belonged to _my_ mom. So, that would imply that you're mearly a guest here." He moved his face even closer to her own. "Don't overstay your welcome." He whispered before pushing himself away from her and walking out of the room.

Once she heard his bedroom door slam shut, she let out a deep breath.

This was going to be a very long week.

**Please review! Let me know what you think so far. :)**


	6. Over My Head

**Thank you all so much for the reviews. I say this everytime, but I just love everything you all have to say. And, I'm glad you all are liking the story. Here is the next chapter...hopefully you all will enjoy it. **

Chapter 6: "Over My Head"

Brooke walked into the kitchen to see Nathan standing infront of the fridge. She walked past him, grabbing a cup from the shelf. Once the cup was in her hands, she slammed it down on the counter, not bothering to see Nathan's reaction. Words could not express how mad she was at him. How was it possible for someone to be so nice one minute and so cruel the next? Leave it to Nathan Scott to find a way to be able to do so.

She turned around to see Nathan still standing in the same spot as he had what seemed like ten minutes ago. She glanced down at her empty cup, becoming more impatient by the second.

"Can you hand me the orange juice?" She asked from across the room.

Nathan kept his back turned towards her, not making a move, or saying a word.

Brooke groaned loudly before walking over to him. She moved infront of him and grabbed the carton before turning around to face him. His eyes were heavy, as if he hadn't gotten enough sleep. "Someone keep you up late last night?" She asked.

"Something like that." He replied.

"I knew Rachel was a snorer." She said, shaking her head. "What can you do?" She asked, in a sarcastic tone.

Nathan rolled his eyes at her comment. "Not that it's any of your business, but Rachel didn't stay here last night."

"The bed not comfy enough for her?" She asked before walking back over to the counter.

Nathan shut the door to the fridge before looking over at her. "I have to leave in twenty minutes." He said, ignoring her comment.

"And why is that?" Brooke questioned as she poured the orange liquid into the cup.

"Basketball." He mumbled.

"How exactly am I supposed to get to school?" She asked.

"Heard of walking?" Nathan asked. Brooke's mouth dropped at his question. Was he serious?

Before Brooke could get another word in, Nathan walked out of the kitchen. She shook her head and grabbed the phone nearby. She dialed a number she had just recently memorized. "Good Morning, sunshine!" She said, speaking loudly into the phone.

-----

"Thanks again, Haley, for picking me up." Brooke said as she got out of the car.

"Well, I didn't have much of a choice, now did I?" Haley asked, a smile playing on her lips. She shut the car door behind her, making her way over to Brooke's side of the car. "I wasn't about to let you walk like Nathan so greatly suggested."

"Can you believe that!" Brooke exclaimed as the two of them walked towards the school's entrance. "I was actually beginning to believe he wasn't this horrible person, but last night...he sure as hell proved me wrong."

"I'm sorry, Brooke." Haley said. "Hate to say I told you so." She added, smiling sadly at Brooke.

Brooke nodded in response.

"Kinda sucks though," Haley began, "I wish the rumors hadn't been true."

"Me too." Brooke whispered before they reached their lockers.

"Speaking of." She heard Haley say, causing her to look over at her in confusion. Haley pointed to Nathan, who was walking down the hallway towards them. "I'll see you later." She said, walking in the other direction, leaving Brooke alone.

"Hey." He said as he reached her.

"Hey." Brooke replied, trying her hardest not to make her statement into a question out of confusion. Why was he talking to her?

"Looks like you got to school just fine." He leaned his body against the locker next to hers.

"Looks like it." Brooke mumbled before grabbing a few books out of her locker. Since Nathan had walked over to her, she hadn't looked his way once. She was tired of his act. One minute he was being such a nice guy, and the next, he was being an ass, telling her not to 'overstay her welcome'. She was done trying to get through to him, and she was definitely done trying to get along with him.

After a moment of silence, Brooke shut her locker. "I gotta get to class." She said quickly before walking away.

-----

"Someone ways a ton!" Rachel yelled from the bottom of the pyramid. Brooke was conveniently placed in the spot above her. She rolled her eyes at Rachel's comment. She continued to maintain her balance, not wanting to be the one blamed if something went wrong.

"Okay! Everyone get off. We need to make a few adjustments." Rachel said. One by one the girls listened to her instructions, Brooke being slightly more reluctant than the rest of the squad.

"What was so wrong with the way it was?" Brooke asked, once everyone was standing on their own two feet. "I thought it was fine."

Rachel laughed slightly. "Apparently, you haven't had to hold up your own weight before. Maybe you should lose a few, Brookie." She said, smiling fakely.

Brooke glared at her. She felt Haley grab ahold of her arm as if to hold her back. Brooke hadn't known Haley for a very long time, but as the days went by, it seemed like Haley knew exactly what Brooke was thinking most of the time. She wished she had that ability herself, but for a certain boy living just down the hall from her.

"Okay, Beth, Lindsay, Morgan, and Brooke, I need you four to be the bottom." Rachel said, looking in their direction.

Brooke let out a heavy sigh before all four girls formed a line. They looked to Rachel for further instructions.

Rachel rolled her eyes at the four girls standing in front of her. "On your knees." She said, loudly.

"That's funny coming from you." Brooke mumbled to herself, causing the girls around her to laugh.

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked as she walked towards Brooke.

"I think you heard me." Brooke replied.

Rachel stopped walking once she was standing directly in front of Brooke. "I don't know who exactly you think you are, but I would watch it."

"Is that a threat?" Brooke questioned.

"Don't mess with me, Brooke." Rachel said, glaring down at her. "I will make your life miserable." She added.

Brooke took a step forward, as if she were challenging her. "Is that so?"

"You have no idea." Rachel's tone came out as a stern message, but Brooke wasn't listening. She wasn't going to let someone like Rachel talk down to her and make threats.

"Ok!" Rachel yelled, clasping her hands together. "Let's continue, shall we?"

Brooke rolled her eyes before she spotted Haley and Peyton looking at her, their eyes slightly wider than usual.

-----

"Okay, that was awesome!" Haley exclaimed as her, Brooke, and Peyton stood outside the locker room after practice.

"I can't believe that bitch." Brooke complained. She took a moment to look across the gym at Rachel and Nathan. Rachel grabbed the bottom of Nathan's shirt and pulled him towards her. Brooke made a face of disgust.

"She had no right to say what she did." Peyton said. "She had it coming." She added. Haley nodded in agreement.

"Let's get out of here." Haley begged abruptly, wanting to get away from all the 'drama'. "We can go back to my house and hang out."

"Sounds good to me." Brooke said.

"Me too." Peyton replied.

Brooke felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to turn around; Nathan was standing behind her. "You ready to go?" He asked.

"Um..I'm going to Haley's." She said. "So, the house is all yours for a couple of hours. I guess I'll just see you in the morning."

"Whatever." Nathan mumbled before he walked away.

Brooke turned her attention back to her two friends. "Lets go." She said, as she headed towards the door.

-----

Brooke shut the door quietly as she entered the dark house. She still didn't know the house as well as she wished, so therefore the light switch was not something she intended to find unless she hunted it down. As Brooke walked further into the house, she bumped her knee against the table infront of her. "Shit." She mumbled under her breath.

Suddenly the lights around her turned on, causing her to look up. She spotted Nathan standing a few feet infront of her. "Hi." She said in a whisper. "Did I wake you up?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Oh." She said. "So, then, what are you doing up?" She glanced down at her watch, seeing that it was slightly after 12 in the morning.

"Oh, you know...just hanging out." He said as he leaned against the door frame.

"With Rachel?" She asked.

Nathan shook his head in response.

Brooke nodded before understanding why exactly he was up. "You were waiting up for me, weren't you?" She shook her head in disapproval before walking past him, not bothering to stick around for his answer.

He followed her until they were both in her bedroom. "Well, your dad did tell me to look after you."

"Right." She said. "Were you taking care of me when you told me not to overstay my welcome?" She set her gym bag down on the floor before slipping her shoes off.

Nathan looked down. He looked slightly guilty as her words sunk in, but she was sure that was just her imagination. "I heard you and Rachel got into it at practice." He said, clearly changing the subject.

"Did _Rach _tell you that?" Brooke asked before sitting down on her bed.

Nathan shook his head before taking a seat next to her. "No, some of the guys were talking about it."

"Great." She said, dully.

"What'd she do this time?" He asked, turning his body towards her.

Brooke quirked an eyebrow not knowing what exactly his motives were by talking to her. "She called me fat."

Nathan's lips formed into a O shape as he listened to her.

"Then, I basically called her a slut." She added, smiling to herself. Her smile quickly faded, as she realized who was she talking to. "Sorry." She mumbled quietly.

"Why are you sorry?" Nathan questioned.

"Well, you're dating her...or whatever. And, basing on how comfortable you two looked last night, I'm sure you don't want to hear me talk about how easy she is."

She watched as Nathan shrugged his shoulders, as if he couldn't care less.

"Why do you do that?" She asked, turning her body as he had not too long ago.

"Do what?"

"Act like you don't care, when I know full well that you do based on your little outburst last night." She informed him.

"Outburst?" Nathan asked.

"Wouldn't you call it an outburst?" She said, answering his question with her own.

"You just need to learn how to knock." He stated, simply.

Brooke scoffed at his comment. "And you need to stop being such an ass." She said, getting up from the bed. "You know what? I'm done. I am done with all of it. I am so sick of trying to be nice to you. Since I've gotten here, you've been nothing but a jerk. Sure, you've had some good moments, but not many of them. You think you can say whatever you want and everyone will just fall at your feet!" She yelled.

Nathan rose from his sitting position on the bed.

"I've tried. But you, you just don't seem to care, so why don't you just -" Brooke was cut off as Nathan crashed his lips against her own in one forceful motion.

At first, Brooke just stood there not knowing how to react. But once she felt Nathan's lips move against her own, she brought her hands to the back of his neck, pulling him even closer to her. Nathan wrapped his arms around her instinctively as their bodies moved closer. He began moving forward, pushing Brooke slightly until her back hit the wall behind her. Brooke's hands fell to his to his shoulders, her lips moving fiercely against his own.

Nathan took his lips from her own, and brought them down to her neck. As he did this, Brooke began to process everything that was happening. She tilted her head back further to give him better access. He placed light kisses from her neck to her uncovered collar bone, due to the fact that she was wearing a small tank top. Brooke's heart began to beat faster with each move he made. As his fingers grazed the bottom of her tank top, and his lips were brought back to her own, she began to come to her senses. What were they doing? What was SHE doing? _Their parents_ were dating. _Their parents_ were in a serious, committed relationship. She had to stop this.

Brooke broke away from the kiss, pushing him away in attempts to stop his actions. Nathan stumbled back slightly. He stared down at her, trying to read her expression. Brooke brought her hands up to her mouth covering her swollen lips. "That can't happen again." She whispered, before walking out of the room.

**If you're reading, please review. The amount of reviews I get determine the next update. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Back To Square One

**Hey everyone! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I've been busy getting ready for college and such. Thank you so much for all the replies! They mean the world to me, really. Regarding some of the replies, this story has no incest going on. I know NB's parents are dating, but they're not married. And even if they did get married, NB are not related by blood. So, in some way, it's still 'normal'…kind of! Anyways, on to the update. I hope you like it!**

Chapter 7: "Back To Square One"

Brooke looked over at her alarm clock as the shrilling noise of her alarm played throughout her bedroom. She reached her hand over to it, hitting the off button. Truth was, she didn't even need the alarm; she hadn't slept at all. Every time she closed her eyes, she would constantly reply the moment between Nathan and her in her mind, over and over again.

Pushing the comforter from her body, she got out of the bed, determined to leave the house as soon as possible. Brooke opened the door to her bedroom and made her way towards the bathroom.

Once she was inside, she shut the door behind her, starting the shower. She brushed her teeth, and then stepped inside the shower once she was done. Brooke turned around so that the water washed over her. At least she knew, at this very moment, she could relax before facing all the drama in her life.

The sound of the door opening caused Brooke to stand straight up and look over her shoulder. Was she imagining things or did someone just walk into the bathroom? She grabbed the shower curtain and moved it to the side, making sure her body was still covered. Nathan was standing over the sink, brushing his teeth. "Um, hello? The bathroom is occupied at the moment." She said loudly.

Nathan continued to do his morning routine, as Brooke stared on. He was going to play the quiet game. "Look, Nathan," Brooke began calmly, "I know you're mad at me, but we can talk about this later…maybe when I'm _clothed_." She said, pulling the shower curtain even closer to her body.

He mumbled something, something she was unable to hear. "What?" She asked a loud.

He turned around, facing her, and walked closer to her. "I said, I don't want to talk." And with that, he crashed his lips against hers forcefully as he had the night before.

At first, Brooke was reluctant, but she couldn't fight it any longer. There was just something about the way he made her feel. She placed her hands on his bare shoulders and brought him even closer, the shower curtain still somewhat in the way. Nathan pushed his way past the curtain and entered the shower. He deepened the kiss, as his hands cupped her face, his tongue outlining her mouth, memorizing each and every part of it.

Brooke pulled away slightly, the need for oxygen barring down on her. She kept her eyes on his, not sure where exactly this was going or what exactly she was thinking. Nathan's eyes drifted away from her own and down her bare body. She blushed slightly, looking away.

Sex as a whole, or any type of sexual experiences, were not new to her. However, this was different. She had had sex before, but it had always been in dark rooms, hiding all that she considered her imperfections.

Nathan slid one of his hands down her back gently, sending chills throughout her entire body. This feeling forced her to look back up at him. He smiled slightly before placing his lips against hers once again.

The kiss was full of passion and desire, two things Brooke was not used to. She brought her lips down to his neck, lightly kissing every inch of skin. Nathan grabbed her face gently before roughly bringing his lips back to her own, not being able to stand the loss of contact. He then turned them slightly and moved forward, pushing Brooke under the water coming from the shower head.

Brooke moaned into the kiss, the heat between them growing each second. Her hands traveled down his chest, to his now soaked boxers. Nathan broke away from the kiss, looking deeply into her eyes as if telling her to continue. As she fiddled with the elastic strap she heard a loud noise filling the room. Brooke furrowed her brow in confusion, "Do you hear that?" She asked.

"Wake up." He said before placing a gentle kiss against her cheek.

"What?" Brooke asked with questioning eyes.

Brooke's eyes flashed open. She sat up quickly, looking around her bedroom. It had all been a dream. Every single bit of it had been a dream. "_Of course_." She said, letting out a loud sigh.

She laid her hand against the alarm clock, hitting the off button a little harder than usual.

"Nathan wanted you to walk again, I'm guessing?" Haley asked as she and Brooke walked towards the school.

Brooke looked over at her nervously. "Um, no…not exactly." She said before she made sure Nathan's car still wasn't in the parking lot. She had avoided him the entire morning. She made sure her shower was shorter and that she stayed in her room until she knew Nathan was in the bathroom.

"Okay? So then, what was it?" Haley asked.

"Can't a girl just want to ride with her friend to school once in awhile?" Brooke said, sending a fake bright smile in Haley's direction.

"And now, the truth, please."

Brooke sighed. She had intended on telling Haley, but she was trying to forget about everything, the kiss had been on her mind since she walked away from him.

"Nathan kissed me." She blurted out. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see Haley's reaction.

"He WHAT!" She yelled.

The kids in the hallway all stared in their direction. Brooke smiled awkwardly. "He kissed you!" Haley asked.

"Why don't you say it louder? I don't think everyone heard you."

"Sorry." Haley mumbled. "So…."

"So…what?" Brooke asked her.

"What did you do?" Haley inquired pushing Brooke to the corner of the hallway so that they were no longer in the dead center of the hall.

"I told him it couldn't happen again. And, then, I left." Brooke said, honestly. She looked away from Haley, watching as more people filled the hallway.

"Did you kiss him back?" Brooke's eyes darted towards Haley's after she asked the question.

Brooke remained quiet for a while before answering, "No." She looked away once again. "…Yes." She added after a long pause.

Haley gasped at her confession. "This is _too_ good."

Brooke sent a glare in Haley's direction. That was easy for her to say.

Brooke sat down on the bleacher's, letting out a heavy sigh in an attempt to relieve some stress. Rachel had actually given the cheerleaders a ten minute break. All during practice, Haley had been secretly poking fun at Brooke. Every time Nathan would run past them during his laps, Haley would look in Brooke's direction and make a face.

"Hey." She looked up to see Lucas standing in front of her.

Brooke smiled in response.

"I see you've distanced yourself from the rest of the squad." He said, looking between her and the other girls.

"Yeah, well, I needed some time to myself." She said honestly.

"Oh, well then I will leave and let you have your private time."

Brooke shook her head. "No, it's fine. Sit."

Lucas took a seat right beside her.

"I wanted to apologize to you anyways." She added, turning her body slightly towards his. Lucas sent her a confused look, so she continued, "For how I acted at the party."

Lucas laughed as he shook his head. "It's fine, Brooke. _Really._" He said sincerely.

Brooke smiled. "Okay, good. I just was upset, and truth be told, I kind of felt like you were hitting on me…in some weird way." She said, laughing at the sound of her own absurdity.

Lucas laughed with her. "I wasn't. I was just trying to help."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. And, just so you know, I prefer blondes. No offense." He said with a smile.

Brooke pushed his shoulder in a playful manner.

After their laughter subsided, Lucas spoke, "Any idea why Nathan's mood is even worse today than it was yesterday?"

Brooke's mouth dropped slightly. It wasn't because of last night. It couldn't be. She had to believe that. "Nope. Maybe you should ask him."

Lucas let out a quick laugh. "Right. Nathan and I aren't exactly _friends_."

"You aren't?" Brooke asked, quirking a brow.

"Ever since I can remember, it's always been us against one another." He shrugged.

Brooke opened her mouth to speak, but stopped once she saw, out of the corner of her eye, one of the basketballs bouncing in their direction. Lucas reached out and grabbed it before it hit Brooke. "That was close." She said.

Nathan jogged in their direction, retrieving the ball from Lucas. "Thanks." He said, in the least sincere voice he could muster. He turned around in an attempt to walk away. "Oh, by the way." He said, turning back towards the two of them. "Rachel's coming over tonight. You might want to stay at Haley's." He gave Brooke an intense stare, and then turned his gaze back to Lucas. "Break's over." And with that, he was gone.

Brooke got up once he had left and walked towards the gym doors. "Brooke?" She heard Haley say before she pushed open the door with all of her might and exited the gym.

**If you are reading…please, please, please review. Thank you!**


	8. The Return

**Thank you all so much for reviewing. I love hearing what you all have to say…you have no idea. I am so shocked to see the number of reviews as well. I never would have thought I would get this many. Thank you so much for everyone who does review it is very much appreciated. :D Anyways…here ya go! I hope you like it!**

Chapter 8: "The Return"

Brooke pushed open the main doors to the school, some needing to fresh air.

"Brooke!" She heard from behind, making her turn around. She spotted Haley running after her, a worried look washing over her facial features.

Brooke let out a loud sigh before bringing her hand to her forehead as she paced back and forth. She didn't want to feel this way.

Haley could tell that Brooke was beating herself up over something. It had to be Nathan, since Brooke had left the gym immediately after her little run in with him. "You care, don't you?" She asked.

Brooke shook her head, trying to convince herself that she didn't care. For some stupid reason, she felt something when Nathan had kissed her. However, a relationship wasn't something she wanted, or needed. Then again, maybe it _was _something she needed, but not with a guy who was the son of her father's girlfriend. "I don't want to." She mumbled shortly under her breath.

"You shouldn't." Haley said, taking a few steps towards her. "He's an ass."

"You were encouraging this, like, an hour ago." Brooke said, narrowing her eyes in Haley's direction.

"I was suffering from temporary insanity. Besides, I don't him anywhere near you if all he's going to do is upset you…or, whatever he does." Haley sent her a gentle smile.

Brooke smiled slightly in response.

"Come here." Haley said, giving Brooke a hug.

"Thanks, Hales." Brooke pulled away from the embrace.

The doors behind them swung open and Peyton appeared. "The bitch is beckoning." She stated, rolling her eyes.

Brooke and Haley both shook their heads before Haley walked past Peyton and inside. Brooke looked over at Peyton, dreading the moment she would have to step back inside the double doors. "Come on, B. Davis." She heard Peyton said.

"Fine." Brooke pouted.

Peyton walked over to and placed her arm around Brooke, pulling her into a hug. "We'll piss Rachel off, it'll be fun!" Peyton exclaimed, forcing a laugh to escape Brooke's lips as the two headed towards the gym.

-----

She went against her better judgment and went home. However, she definitely wasn't going to stay the night since Nathan and Rachel would be just down the hall. Brooke had asked Haley to drop her off so that she could get a few things. Haley had to run a quick errand but promised she would be back as soon as she could.

After entering the house, Brooke quietly shut the door, not wanting her presence to be known. She made her way down the hall and into her bedroom, getting out an outfit to wear to school in the morning and something to sleep in.

Brooke picked up her bag and turned around, needing to get the last of her things in the bathroom. She jumped slightly, seeing someone standing in her doorway.

"A little jumpy, are we?"

"What the hell do you want, Nathan?" She asked, glaring at him.

He merely laughed before leaning against the doorframe.

"I thought you'd be _occupied _by now." Brooke said, after a moment of silence. She looked away, averting eye contact.

"I could be." He said.

Brooke looked up at him, quirking her eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you say?" He asked with a smirk.

Her mouth dropped at his comment. "I say, you're a conceited little piece of shit!" She exclaimed. "But, I think that's pretty clear, don't you think?" It was true, when Brooke was mad, she was mad and there was no stopping the words coming from her mouth.

"Ouch." Nathan replied, not fazed at all. "You need to loosen up, it was just a joke."

Brooke narrowed her eyes in his direction. Lately, that seemed like all she was doing when she saw him. "Why did you kiss me?" She inquired, quickly changing the topic of discussion.

"Why do you care?" He asked.

"Just answer the question."

"Well," He paused momentarily, "It was the only way I could think of to shut you up."

Brooke walked towards him so that she was just a few steps in front of him. "So, it didn't mean anything?"

He took his eyes away from her own, not responding for quite some time.

"Well?" Brooke questioned, clearly growing tired of waiting.

He finally looked back at her, blue against hazel. "A kiss doesn't always have to mean something."

Brooke's mouth dropped open slightly. She nodded, her eyes clouding over with the anger she was truly feeling deep down. "Move." She said, pushing past him and making her way as quickly as she could out of the house.

-----

"I saw Peyton and Lucas talking after practice." Haley said as she and Brooke walked into her bedroom. They had spent most of the night watching movies and eating – two things most girls enjoyed doing. Brooke had told Haley about her encounter with Nathan, but quickly changed the subject since she did not want to think or talk about him _ever _again.

Brooke looked up. "Oh, really?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure that made her happy. She's had her eye on that boy for a long time."

Brooke smiled at the thought. "Good for her! He did tell me he has a thing for blondes." She paused momentarily, "I think they'd be good together."

"I think so too."

A moment of silence passed between them before Haley decided to speak again. "So, tell me about your life."

"Well," Brooke began, sighing heavily, "It pretty much sucks." She laid down on the bed, as did Haley.

Haley laughed slightly. "No, your life before Tree Hill."

"Not much to tell." She said, looking down at her hands.

Haley bit down on her bottom lip. She didn't want to upset Brooke, that was the last thing she wanted. However, she did want to know more about her. "Come on. There's gotta be some things worth remembering."

"All the good things lead to bad things." Brooke mumbled shortly.

Haley nodded, a frown playing upon her lips.

"There was this guy." She said, unexpectedly.

Haley's eyes widened, urging for her to continue.

"I was so into him." Brooke started to smile, as the thoughts entered her mind. "And he was so wrong for me." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "But, that didn't matter. I was positive I could change him, and make him good for me. Or at least, I wanted to believe that I could change _someone_."

"Maybe you can." Haley encouraged.

Brooke shrugged. "Maybe." She paused, taking in her thoughts. "He was the popular guy, the basketball star, and I was the girlfriend, the head cheerleader, and _the_ bitch."

Haley let out a quick laugh.

"Not something I'm proud of, but, that was my life. It got tiring. Then one day, when I actually _needed _him to be a boyfriend, he bolted, so…"

"I'm sorry, Brooke."

"His loss, right?" Brooke asked.

Haley nodded. "Definitely. What was his name anyway?"

"Marcus."

-----

It was yet another day at Tree Hill High. Brooke had to keep herself from falling asleep. She and Haley had stayed up late talking about anything and everything. The bell had just rung and all the kids were settling in their desks.

The teacher walked in front of his desk, addressing the class. "We have a new student today."

Brooke smiled. Finally, she wasn't the new kid anymore.

The door of the classroom opened up to reveal a dark haired boy. Brooke's mouth dropped. "Marcus?" She whispered.

**Ooh the drama. I hope you all don't hate me for this, but I have a plan…just bear with me. ;) Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading. And yes, it is the Marcus from the show.**


	9. Wish It Was All In My Head

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took me sooo long to update. I hope ya'll don't hate me. ;) I've been in college for a month and things are hectic, to say the least. Please bare with me for updates - I'm trying the best I can, I promise! I hope you like this next chapter! Enjoy.**

Chapter 9: "Wish It Was All In My Head"

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Brooke had been casually looking in Marcus' direction, trying to make out a reaction. However, that was useless. He kept his eyes focused on the front of the room.

She watched as he grabbed his books and walked towards the door. Brooke got up from her seat and ran over to him, grabbing a hold of his arm. "I knew it wouldn't be long before you just had to get your hands on me." He looked down at her, smirking.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." He said, placing his hands on the side of her cheeks.

She smiled slightly, feeling like the naïve girl she used to be. But, it wasn't too long before reality started crashing down on her, forcing her to really see what he was doing. "Right." She said, pushing his hands away from her. "Let me guess. Daddy got transferred?"

Marcus let out a sigh before nodding. "I want to be with you, Brooke. I want to start things over." He said, as he grabbed her hand gently.

Brooke let out a laugh. She pulled her hand back, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Funny, that's not what you wanted after you found out my mother had died and I was moving away."

"Brooke, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." He pleaded.

"_Obviously_." She sent him a glare before walking out of the classroom.

-----

The days seemed the fly by, and Brooke was in the last place she wanted to be – cheer practice. She used to have such a drive and passion for cheering, but the present company, aside from a few selective people, was anything but comforting.

Brooke, as well as the rest of the cheerleaders, was sitting on the bleachers, waiting for Rachel's arrival. "So, we have a new guy." Haley said, taking a seat besides Brooke.

"I know." Brooke mumbled, looking over towards the gym doors to see Marcus walk inside. She should have known he was going to want to join the basketball team.

Haley raised an eyebrow at Brooke's behavior. "He's pretty cute."

Brooke nodded in response.

"Brooke, what's wrong?"

"You know that guy I told you about?"

"Yes…." Haley said, urging her to continue.

"That's him." Brooke added, tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear. She looked over at Haley, only to see Haley staring back at her.

"And you're just telling me this _now _because?"

Brooke shrugged her shoulders before letting out an exasperated sigh. "I thought maybe if I didn't say it, it wouldn't be real." She paused momentarily, "As if I didn't have enough going on right now."

Haley nodded. "Yeah, you're attracted to a boy that could in time be your step brother…"

Brooke's head shot up and she sent a glare in Haley's direction. Haley smiled uneasily. "And, the boy who broke your heart is back in your life." She added.

"Thanks, Hales."

Haley smiled sadly before placing her hand on Brooke's shoulder. "Everything will work out."

"Alright, girls!" Rachel said enthusiastically as she walked towards the squad. "Sorry I'm late. I just had to get some things in order." She took her jacket off and threw it on the bleachers. "As most of you know, it's time for our annual boy draft. The choices are chosen at random for those of you who don't know about this." She looked in Brooke's direction, sending a fake smile. She then lifted her hand to show a hat full of folded sheets of paper.

Brooke rolled her eyes, noticing the hat was one of Nathan's.

Haley and Peyton had informed Brooke about the boy draft. They complained about how they had never gotten the guys they'd wanted. Brooke couldn't help but think how stupid this idea was. Was it necessary to place jocks and cheerleaders together? How cliché. Brooke was also informed how Rachel would force whoever picked Nathan to trade with her.

"I will go first." Rachel said, picking up a piece of paper. She made a face as she glanced at the name. Shaking her head, she handed the hat to Brittany, another girl on the squad.

Peyton rushed into the gym, and walked as quickly as she could over to Brooke and Haley. "What did I miss?"

"Well…" Haley began.

"Oh, goodie." Peyton said sarcastically, noticing the hat being passed around.

Haley was given the hat first out of the three of them, followed by Brooke, and then Peyton. They each stared down at the paper in their hands.

"You first." Brooke and Peyton both said as they looked at Haley.

Haley shook her head before she slowly opened the paper. "Jake." She read out loud.

"Not bad." Peyton said, smiling.

"Which one is that again?" Brooke asked, looking over at the group of guys.

"He's in the gray shirt and navy blue shorts." Haley replied.

Brooke smiled. "Not bad at all." She said, looking over at Haley. Haley rolled her eyes at the comment.

"Okay, Peyton's turn!" Haley exclaimed.

"Fine." Peyton stressed. She mimicked Haley's earlier actions, "Lucas."

Brooke and Haley both squealed like little girls once the name left Peyton's lips. "Be quiet!" Peyton yelled, a hint of laughter playing in her voice.

"Like you're not fighting the urge to do the same thing." Brooke said, shaking her head.

"You're up, B. Davis." Peyton said, quickly changing the subject.

Brooke unfolded the paper. She read the name to herself, her mouth dropping slightly.

"Well?" Haley asked.

Brooke remained quiet, her face expressionless. Haley grabbed the paper from her, reading the name.

"What does it say?" Peyton questioned.

"It says…"

"Nathan." Brooke whispered.

"You called?" Nathan asked as he stood before them. The basketball had walked over to the group of girls while Brooke, Haley, and Peyton were reading off their names to each other.

Brooke glared at him before quickly folding the paper back up. "Nathan." Rachel said with a smile, as she placed her hand on his arm, "Looks like it's me and you again."

Brooke let out a brief laugh. Rachel's smile disappeared. She looked in Brooke's direction, "Something funny?"

"Well, yeah, actually…" Brooke got off of the bleachers and walked over to Rachel. "I believe I picked Nathan."

"Apparently you can't read. **_You _**have Tim." Rachel said, shoving Tim in Brooke's direction.

"I knew this day would come." Tim said, looking Brooke up and down.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "I think you're wrong." She said, looking directly at Rachel. She then mimicked Rachel's actions by shoving Tim in the opposite direction. His body hit Rachel's, causing her to fall back slightly.

"Ew." Rachel said, finally pushing Tim to the side and out of the picture. She walked towards Brooke, stopping once she was directly in her face. "As if Nathan would choose _you_ over me."

Brooke narrowed her eyes. She turned her head to look at Nathan. It was obvious that he was quite amused by the whole situation.

Rachel then looked over at Nathan, as well. "Right, Nate?" She asked, looking back at Brooke. Brooke's eyes were still on Nathan's.

"Well…" He began. He bit down on his lip, pausing for a moment. Brooke couldn't tell whether or not he was agreeing or disagreeing with Rachel's question.

"Well, what?" Rachel asked as she grew impatient.

"She did pick me."

Rachel's mouth dropped. "Excuse me?" She questioned, walking over to him.

"It's just a stupid draft, Rachel." He explained.

Rachel clenched her jaw roughly out of anger. "Fine!" She yelled before walking out of the gym.

The basketball players and the cheerleaders watched her leave in a hurry. Once she was gone, they all looked at Nathan and Brooke. It wasn't too long before Brooke grabbed her things and followed Rachel's lead.

-----

Peyton turned her head and watched as Haley went after Brooke.

Peyton's eyes drifted to a certain blonde boy, sitting on the bare bleachers, looking utterly confused. She slowly made her way over to him, smiling briefly. "Hey."

Lucas looked up to see her standing before him. He smiled, "Hey."

She sat down beside him, turning her attention towards him. "That was…interesting." She said, laughing at her own words.

Lucas nodded slowly.

"So, you like her, huh?" Peyton asked abruptly, not being able to take much more silence. She caught his eyes briefly with her own, before looking away.

He laughed, shaking his head at her question. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, I always see you going out of your way to talk to her." Peyton said, shrugging her shoulders lightly. What was she supposed to think?

"When I first saw Brooke, I could tell something was going on with her. I just wanted to help." He paused, in an attempt to make sure their eyes were connected. "Is that so hard to believe?" He asked.

She shook her head before smiling. "If only all guys were like you."

Lucas smiled. "I don't know about that."

After a moment of silence, a thought had occurred to Peyton. Here she was, talking on and on and she wasn't even sure he had the slightest idea who she was. She had heard about Lucas for awhile now. He was close to being the star basketball player, and he was definitely good looking. But, there was something about him that she was drawn to, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. "I'm Peyton, by the way." She said, her thoughts catching up to her vocal cords.

Lucas smiled once again. '_Why did he have to smile so much and look so cute while doing it?' _She thought to herself.

"I know who you are." He said, causing a blush to form on Peyton's cheeks. "So, who'd you pick?" He asked, changing the topic of discussion.

Peyton let out an uneasy laugh. She looked away, trying to keep him from seeing her blush. "Actually…." She finally forced herself to look at him. "I picked you."

"Really?"

She nodded in response.

"You're not going to try to trade me for Nathan like Brooke and Rachel, are you?" He asked, laughing at himself.

Peyton laughed as well. "I'm pretty happy with my pick." She said sincerely.

Lucas looked over at her, his eyes connected with her own. He smiled slightly, opening his mouth to speak.

"Luke!" Someone called from across the gym.

Lucas turned to see Jake standing there, looking in his direction. Lucas nodded.

"I guess you got to go, huh?" Peyton asked.

"Yeah…" He said, hesitantly. They both rose from their seats on the bleacher. He turned towards her, "I'll be seeing you, Peyton." He said.

She nodded before he made his way over to his teammates.

Peyton watched him a moment, a smile playing on her lips.

"Brooke and Haley." She mumbled aloud, finally coming to her senses. And with that, she quickly made her way out of the gymnasium doors searching for her two friends.


	10. I Wake Up, It's a Bad Dream

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took a very long time for this update. I've been super busy! I hope you all enjoy this. Thanks for all the amazing reviews. I cannot tell you enough how much they mean to me. I'm going to try to get the next update written and posted sooner, but you never know. Enjoy...and please review!**

Chapter 10: "I Wake Up, It's a Bad Dream"

Brooke sat in the living room, flipping through the channels on the TV displayed before her. She looked down to see her cell vibrating. Glancing at the caller ID, she saw her dad's name pop up. She sighed heavily, grasping the phone in her hands. Her dad had been gone for awhile now. She wanted him to be happy, she really did. If he was happy being with Deb, away from her, then she had to just _have to_ accept that. Brooke pressed the ignore button before setting the phone back down beside her. "You always ignore Daddy's calls?" Nathan said from behind her.

Brooke turned her head, sending a glare in Nathan's direction. "Do you always sneak up behind people and spy on them?" She asked, getting up from her seat. Nathan smiled to himself, "Only you."

"Oh, goodie!" Brooke exclaimed, sarcasm dripping through her words. She crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you want, Nathan?"

"Well," He began, walking out from behind the chair, and moving closer to her. "I was just wondering when our date was."

Brooke let out a rough laugh. "Our date?"

"The draft? You picked me. Do you not remember?" He asked.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "I try to block out traumatic experiences in my life." She said, moving past him.

Nathan reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her. Brooke looked up at him expectantly. "Rules are rules." He stated, simply.

"Rules are rules? Since when do_ you_ abide by the rules?" She asked, ignoring the chills that went through her body the instant Nathan's hand touched her own.

Nathan smiled, "When it involves you." He said, pulling her closer to him.

"Nice _line_." Brooke said, putting her hand on his chest to make sure they weren't _too _close. She took her eyes away from his, also making sure she was looking everywhere but at him. She knew she couldn't and that scared her.

"Brooke." He said in a stern, yet calm voice. His statement had indeed sounded like a line, but both Brooke and Nathan knew that it was _more_ than that.

Brooke brought her eyes back to his. Right now, his jackass appeal was decreasing by the second - something Brooke just _knew _would happen. Slowly Brooke's hand began to drop from Nathan's chest, bringing their bodies closer.

"Brooke!" Someone yelled from the front of the house.

Brooke quickly backed away from Nathan upon hearing the voice that she knew was Haley's. She looked over at Nathan, who stared back at her. He nodded slowly and exited the livingroom.

Placing her hand on her forehead, Brooke let out a sigh before moving in the direction of Haley's voice.

"Hey." Haley said, once Brooke reached her. "Your front door was open."

"Oh." Brooke let out, in an almost inaudible tone.

"You okay?" Haley asked her.

Brooke forced a smile, "Yep. I'm great." She quickly averted eye contact as she walked Haley, towards the fridge. "You hungry?"

-----

"So, tonight's date night." Peyton said, as all three of the girls sat down at their regular lunch table.

"Yep." Haley said simply. It could be seen by both Brooke and Peyton that just the thought of the date's made Haley nervous.

Brooke laughed to herself. "We really have to have our dates _tonight_?"

Peyton shrugged. "I guess not, but all of the boys are expecting it."

Brooke rolled her eyes as she thought about the previous night – the way Nathan spoke to her, the way he held her. It was not just some game to him anymore, or at least she was pretty sure it wasn't. She just didn't understand why he acted like such a jerk one minute and actually human, the next.

"What are you and Nathan doing tonight?" Haley asked her.

Brooke laughed loudly. "You think we're actually doing something?"

Haley looked towards Peyton, quirking an eyebrow. "Well, you did fight for him." She said, directing her glance in Brooke's direction.

Brooke slapped Haley's arm. "I did not fight for him!" She exclaimed in her own defense.

"Sure." Peyton said with a smile.

"I told Marcus we could talk tonight."

"Brooke." Haley said, sternly.

"I know." She said, closing her eyes tightly. When she had seen Marcus for the first time the other day, she didn't want anything to do with him…at first. But, of course, that feeling slowly faded and the past began to catch up with her.

"Do what you want, but just protect yourself." Haley added.

"I think it's a little late for the sex talk, _Mom_."

"I was talking about your heart." Haley rose from her seat, taking her things along with her.

Brooke watched her retreating form, before looking in Peyton's direction. "What she said." Peyton said with a smile, before getting up as well.

Brooke smiled to herself. Her eyes drifted towards Nathan and his group of friends, at the other end of the cafeteria. "Don't worry, I will." She mumbled to herself.

-----

Brooke took her key out of the ignition as she reached her house. She got out of the car and waited for Marcus to do the same. "This feels like old times." He said, shutting the door behind him.

"How so?" She asked, placing her purse over her shoulder.

"Oh, you know," He began, walking towards. "You, bringing me back to your empty house after cheer practice or a game. But, for some reason, I have a feeling you won't be putting on the outfit any time soon." He said, with a smile.

"The plan is for us to _talk_." Brooke replied, trying to keep herself from laughing at his comment. She hit the lock button on her key chain before walking towards the house.

"Hey!" Marcus shouted, causing Brooke to turn around. "I left my stuff in your car."

Brooke tossed him her keys, before entering the house. As she walked in, she expected to enter a dark and empty house; however, it was quite the opposite. On the tables that aligned the left side of the hallway, were lit candles. Was Deb home or, her dad for that matter?

She walked further into the house until she reached the kitchen. She spotted a familiar figure standing beside the kitchen table. Brooke flipped on the light switch. "Hey, what's going on?" She asked.

Nathan turned around, revealing a fully set table with food and a few more candles displayed amongst it. "I, um…"

"Alright, I got everything." Marcus said, as she walked up behind them.

Nathan's soft features changed drastically once Marcus entered the room. "Nathan…" Brooke whispered softly. Her mouth dropped slightly, as she the realization of what was going on came crashing down on her.

He nodded stiffly. "I gotta go call Rachel. You know," He looked Brooke directly in the eyes, "seeing as this is for _her _and all." He walked past her.

"Nathan." Brooke called out; he didn't stop. He walked into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

She looked over at Marcus, a confused looked playing amongst his features. "You should go." She mumbled before heading in the direction of Nathan's bedroom.

**Next chapter - a lot of NB...promise! You'll finally find out what's going on with Nathan and what he's thinking in that pretty head of his. Now, review! Thanks. :)**


	11. Walk Away

I know…it's be ages since I've updated! I'm so sorry; I've just been really busy. I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I think things will get better as we move on some more. I hope you all like it, regardless! Thanks for all the reviews; I can't believe I've gotten so many. Thank you.

Enjoy. :)

Chapter 11: "Walk Away"

Brooke walked into Nathan's bedroom. She spotted Nathan standing in front of his window, his back turned in her direction. She took an inward deep breath, as she wondered what he was thinking. Everything in the kitchen had looked amazing; she wanted to go back and see it once again, but she knew this is where she had to be; she _had _to talk to him.

"What the hell was that?" She asked, in a soft whisper, almost afraid to speak any louder.

"What are you talking about?" He asked quickly. He didn't bother to turn around and look at her. Nathan folded his hands over his chest in a defensive manner. This action was not even something he acknowledged. Throughout his life, he had built up his defenses; this was just a physical indication of doing so – and Brooke and grown to realize that.

He was acting childish, that was for sure. Brooke sighed to herself. She closed the door, leaning her body against it.

_Silence_. It wasn't an uncanny thing to experience in a moment such as this. Many thoughts went through Brooke's head as she stared at Nathan's back. A part of her was waiting for him to turn around; a part of her _knew _he never would.

"You might as well turn around 'cause I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Brooke said.

Surprisingly, Nathan did turn around. He stared at her briefly, before smiling in a sarcastic sense – yet, he still had no problem giving off the impression that he was extremely pissed. He moved over to his bed and took a seat.

"I thought you were going to call Rachel." Brooke said, looking down at her hands before finally making eye contact. She wanted to shove this in his face. She wanted to feel okay. She wanted to forget the way Nathan looked once he saw Marcus.

She _wanted_ to stop having feelings for someone _she knew she shouldn't._

Nathan shook his head. "Are you really that dense?" He asked. The level of his anger was becoming even more evident.

"No. I wish I were, though." She said. She began to walk closer to him, stopping once she was halfway there. "I'm sorry – "

Nathan let out a low laugh. "Shouldn't you be fucking your boyfriend right about now?"

She closed her eyes as he released his words. How dare him. "He isn't my boyfriend." She walked the rest of the way towards him. "And guess what, _Nate, _you aren't either!"

Nathan stood up as she walked closer. She was now clearly just as pissed of as he was.

"Why do even care?"

"Maybe, I care because I care about you, Brooke!" He said, bringing his face closer to hers. "You think I'd do all that shit just for anyone?" He added in reference to the dinner he had made.

She stared at him momentarily before taking a step backwards. "You don't care. This is all just a game to you."

He shook his head at her words. "You really think that, don't you?"

Brooke just looked at him, not letting a word slip out. She didn't know what she thought, but, she had to believe that it was just all a game. It would make everything else a lot simpler.

"Get out." Was all that he said, before turning his back to her once again.

What other choice did she have? She did as she was told, without looking back.

-----

"Wow." Haley said, dropping her hands to her lap.

Brooke sighed. She had told Haley _everything. _She thought that if she talked about it, then it would make things a lot easier. Yet, once again, she was wrong. "Wow? That's all you have to say? He talked to me like I was some one night stand – no respect whatsoever."

"How dare him!" Haley said sarcastically.

Brooke rolled her eyes. She quickly got up from the lunch table, collecting her things. "Why did I even bother?" She thought a loud.

"Brooke," Haley said, following in suite, "He was upset. And, he's _Nathan_."

This caused Brooke to stop. She turned around to face her friend, but distanced herself by not looking her directly in the eye.

Haley took this opportunity to continue, "Did you really expect him to not act the way he did? He cares for someone who obviously doesn't feel the same way."

Brooke's eyes then met with Haley's. Was that the truth? She didn't even know herself. She didn't want to find out. She had convinced herself all of last night, and part of the school day, that he was simply lying.

"You don't have feelings for him…right?" Haley asked, after a long pause of silence.

Brooke looked down at the tiled floor, thoughts flowing through her mind in a quick motion. She wasn't even sure what she was thinking. A simple 'yes', that's all it took. But, why was it so hard for her to say 'yes'?

"Right." She finally whispered, her voice breaking slightly.

-----

She walked into an empty house. For the first time since her father and Deb had been away, she'd wished they would come back. But soon enough, tomorrow to be exact, they would be, and she was sure the minute they walk through the door, she'd be regretting wanting her want for them there.

Brooke dropped her bag onto the kitchen floor, not even caring to put it away. She walked towards the living room, the sound of the television tugging on her interest.

Nathan was lying across the couch lazily. She smiled at his messy hair. Her smile, however, quickly faded as she remembered all the tension that was between them. She was lying to herself. She was lying to everyone, including him. But, lies conquered pain in the end.

"Hey", she said softly.

Nathan turned his head to look at her, but said nothing.

"You would think I'd just stop trying." She thought out loud.

"Then why don't you?" He asked, as he stared at the TV.

"It's not in my nature." She walked closer to him, folding her arms over her chest out of habit. "Can we talk . . . please?" Her words were simple and subtle, but inside she was secretly pleading with him.

He flipped through the channels without a word. She shook her head; she was growing even more tired of his silence. "Look, I'm really sorry about last night. . ."

"So I've heard." He mumbled.

"Ever since I walked into this house, I've wanted for us to be close, for us to be friends!"

"Ever since you walked into this house, _I _wanted to be with you!" His anger was rising, just as her own. "But now," He paused momentarily, "things are going to be different."

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"Nathan! Are you coming?!" echoed throughout the empty house.

Brooke recognized the voice all too well. She nodded to herself, feeling slightly defeated.

"Well," Nathan began as he got up from his position on the couch. "Have a good night . . . _friend_."

Sorry to end it there, but I just had to! And, I know NB getting together is being drawn out, but I hope you all will enjoy the story anyways. The parents will be back soon, for those who are wondering. ;) **Please review! **Thanks for reading!


	12. All Around Me

**Hey everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever; I had writers block when it came to this story (hopefully that's over!). Thank you all so much for the reviews, and especially for being so patient with me. I really hope you enjoy this chapter. You get a little insight to why Nathan is the way he is. There isn't a lot of NB action, but there is some to come in the future chapters! Enjoy!**

Chapter 12: All Around Me

Brooke poured some coffee into her mug. She tightened the hold on her robe that she had walked downstairs wearing. She was exhausted. When times arose such as these, she always stayed up at night, thoughts running through her mind over and over. Why was she lying to herself? Why was she lying to Haley and, especially to Nathan? A few years ago, she wouldn't have had any trouble telling herself, and others who she liked. But, things were different now. Her life had changed, and what she was feeling was definitely different.

She was sure he was done with her. His "feelings" were gone. Did he ever really have them in the first place? He was so unlike any other guy she's ever known; she was sure he was just using her for some twisted game. But, when she was with him . . . that was another story. And he had told her time and time again that this was anything but a game. Isn't that how all the bad stories begin though? Girl likes boy, girl falls for boy because she believes said boy, and ends up with her heart broken. Brooke Davis didn't do broken hearts, not anymore. And, she didn't do cliché stories such as those.

Brooke picked up her mug and brought it to the kitchen table. She looked over at the calendar, realizing that her dad would be coming home tomorrow. Sighing heavily, she took a seat. A part of her wanted to see her father, but another part didn't. Their relationship wasn't great; everyone could see that. She was sure he loved her, and he often said he did, but he didn't do the regular things a girl's father should do. He wasn't protective, he wasn't stern. It was no wonder why Brooke turned out to be the way she is.

Nathan's bedroom door squeaked open; the butterflies began in her stomach. She shook her head, telling herself to stop acting like a little girl with a crush. Truth was, she was terrified. She never knew how her encounters with Nathan would turn out to be. She wanted him to ignore her because that would make things so much easier, but she also wanted him to talk to her. She wanted him to look at her like he had so many times before.

"So, you'll call me later?" Rachel asked as she and Nathan walked into the kitchen.

Brooke rolled her eyes; the mere sound of the girl's voice annoyed her to no end.

"Oh. Good morning, Brooke!" The voice was fake and forced; Brooke wasn't stupid.

"Hi, hoe." Brooke sung in response before taking in another sip of her coffee.

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, walking closer to her.

"You heard me."

Before Rachel could say anything, Nathan grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, placing his lips forcefully against her own. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who could feel a fight about to begin. He knew Rachel and he knew Brooke; nothing good would come out of this. On the other hand, Brooke was sure he did it just for show. She shifted in her seat and turned her eyes away from the hideous sight. Anger built up inside of her. _How dare him._ He was just looking for a way to piss her off, and it was working.

Rachel laughed once Nathan had detached, for a lack of a better word, himself from her. Once again, Brooke rolled her eyes.

"See you later." Rachel said to Nathan. As she walked past Brooke, she sent her a glare, before walking out the door.

"You disgust me." Brooke mumbled.

Nathan let out a loud laugh while taking a seat next to her at the table. "Jealous?" He leaned closer to her, raising an eyebrow.

"Wow." She shook her head. "Like I could ever be jealous of the relationship you have with Rachel."

He shrugged, keeping the close distance between them.

"You're so obvious, Nathan." She said, challenging him.

"Is that so?"

"You're using Rachel and you know it. Why don't you just break her heart _now _before it's too late?"

"Now, how do you know that I'm going to break her heart?" He asked.

"That's what you do; it's who you are." She got up from her seat and walked over to the sink. She could feel his eyes on her the whole time, but she didn't dare to turn around. Who he was – that was why she wouldn't let him in. She knew the pain all too well. And she was sure he didn't have the slightest idea of what it was like to feel that way.

She turned around and jumped back slightly. He was standing directly in front of her. She had been so deep in thought she hadn't had the slightest clue that he had made his way over to her. She brought her eyes to his and folded her arms defensively over her chest. "You think that's all I've ever been?" His words were quiet, but not enough to sum up to a whisper. Maybe he felt hurt by her words; she didn't know. But, at this moment, he looked vulnerable.

Brooke shrugged not knowing what to say to him. How could she not think all he did was break girls' hearts?

Nathan shook his head briefly. "You don't know anything about me." He walked away, leaving Brooke to collect her thoughts.

-----

"Brooke."

What was she going to do? Her dad was going to come back tomorrow and she still had unsettled feelings with Nathan. The Rachel thing was bothering her, and more importantly, the look in his eyes when he uttered the words 'you don't know anything about me' pained her. They looked so tragic.

"Brooke." Haley repeated, throwing her out of her trance.

"Yeah?" She asked quickly.

"What's gotten into you?"

They took a seat in the lunchroom, trays in hand. Haley sat directly across from Brooke as per usual. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"No way! Really?" Sarcasm streamed through Haley's words, which wasn't an uncommon thing when it came to Haley James. "Please tell me this doesn't have anything to do with a certain boy we know."

Brooke bit down on her bottom lip, averting eye contact with her friend.

"Of course." Haley said.

"I'm sorry! It's just, we had a," She paused trying to find the right word, "discussion this morning."

"Discussion? What the hell does that mean?"

"Well, he was with Rachel this morning." Brooke said, recalling the whole incident. "And I told him he might as well break her heart now and get it over with."

"Okay?"

"He wanted to know if that's all I thought he was, a heartbreaker, and I guess I said yes."

"You're definitely right about that one."

"I know." She was trying to convince herself that everything that had happened this morning was what should have happened. She didn't need to take pity on someone who acted the way he did. "I mean, he's never actually had a serious relationship, right?"

"Well…." Haley smiled unsurely.

"Well, what?"

"He dated this girl once." Was all Haley said.

"And you're just telling me this now?" Brooke's voice was uneasy. This was just the thing she feared, to be wrong about Nathan all along. She didn't want to hear this; she couldn't. But then again, she had to.

"A couple of years ago, he dated this girl named Taylor Brown. They were pretty serious." Haley took a bite of her sandwich and swallowed, "Actually, they were very serious."

"So, what happened?" Brooke inquired.

"She and Nathan were in a car accident; he was driving."

Brooke's mouth dropped slightly as Haley continued, "Nathan walked away without a scratch. She, on the other hand, was in the hospital for a few weeks. Once she was released, her parents moved away from Tree Hill. Apparently they wanted her as far away from him as possible. He was pretty heartbroken; they dated for a year. But, ever since then, he's been using girl's non-stop."

Brooke shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. Why hadn't Haley told her sooner?

"I wanted to tell you, Brooke, I did. But, you just had so much going on with your mom's death. I didn't want anything to be a reminder."

"No, it's okay." Brooke got up from the table. "I'll, um, see you later."

She walked away, taking her tray with her. She wasn't mad at Haley, not at all. She was mad at herself. She couldn't have feelings for Nathan because she thought that he would just have his fun with her and be done with it. Now that she knew Nathan was capable of having feelings for someone, _real_ feelings, she didn't know what to do.

Or maybe, she did.

**Please review:)**


	13. Someone To Save You

**Okay, so I know you all probably hate me by now for taking soooo long to add a new chapter, but I hope it was worth the wait. I'm not too happy with it, but I wanted to get it down and posted as quickly as possible. I'm finally on Christmas break, so hopefully I'll have another chapter done before I go back to school! I haven't forgotten about this story, or my readers! I love reading all the reviews. Thank you all so much for them! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

Chapter 13: Someone To Save You

Brooke unlocked the door to her house, or at least, the house she was currently living in. She didn't exactly know what she was going to say to Nathan, but she knew she had to talk to him. After talking to Haley, things became a little clearer; not a lot, but a little. She had feelings for him, that she knew, but she was scared. She couldn't get hurt again; she couldn't feel that pain anymore.

First, there was her mom's death, a constant reminder of what _real _pain could feel like. Then, of course, there was Marcus. She had to admit, what she felt for him was nothing compared to what she was feeling for Nathan.

How could she? How could she have fallen for her father's girlfriend's son? They could be brother and sister someday, for God's sake! But, of course, if Cher could do it in "Clueless", why couldn't she?

She rolled her eyes at her thoughts. "Okay, Brooke, you are seriously deranged." She said to herself before walking down the hall towards Nathan's bedroom.

She brought her hand up to the door, placing the palm of it against the wooden frame. She couldn't do this; she had to avoid it for as long as she possibly could. It wouldn't be too long until she left for college, and she could handle it…_maybe._

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a very shirtless and angry looking Nathan, "What do you want?" He asked, without hesitation.

She backed away from him, leaning her body against the wall behind her. "How did you know I was out here?" Did he hear her talking to herself?

"Lucky guess." He said simply before walking back into his bedroom, leaving the door open for her to follow. "Like I said, what do you want, Brooke?" He sat down on his bed and looked in her direction.

"Um," She took a slow, single step into his room, staying as close to the door as she could. "I just wanted to talk…to you."

"About what?" He ran his fingers through his hair, and Brooke had to fight the urge to make a move in order to do the same thing.

"Everything." She finally moved her body so that she was standing in front of him, as he continued to stay seated. "Look, Nathan, I'm sorry I thought all you did was use girls. I shouldn't have said that." She paused, waiting for him to intervene.

But, he _didn't_. So, she continued, "I guess I just wanted to believe it. I wanted for my feelings for you to go away, but they haven't."

He stood up and walked towards her, placing his hands on the sides of her bare arms gently. His anger quickly vanished as she spoke those words. She brought her eyes up to his, slowly, scared to make any movement too quickly. "I care about you, Nathan…a lot."

She couldn't help but notice a smile form on his lips, causing her to do the same. "You're smiling." She said.

"I'm happy." He replied; it was short and sweet, she had to admit. She didn't know talking to Nathan would turn out this way, and even though she wanted to bury her feelings, right now, at this very moment, all she wanted to do was be with him.

"I just don't want to be hurt again, Nathan. I can't be."

He nodded as he brought his hand up to her cheek, rubbing his thumb gently against it, in a circular motion. "And, after Haley told me about Taylor, I don't want you to be hurt either."

She felt Nathan's body freeze against her own, and she knew, right away, that she shouldn't have let those last few words slip from her lips. "Taylor?" He asked.

"Nathan-"

"Haley told you about Taylor?" The sound of his voice rose with each word, as she backed away from her. Brooke sighed at the loss of contact, and out of the guilt that had quickly consumed her.

"Look, I know that whole thing must not have been easy-"

"You don't know anything about it!" He yelled, cutting her off. "Is that why you came to talk to me, because you felt sorry for me?"

Brooke shook her head quickly, "Of course not!" Her voice was stern, yet shaky all at once. "I meant what I said." She could barely get out her words, seeming unconvincing. Truth be told, had Haley continued to keep the whole Nathan/Taylor story to herself, she probably would have continued to avoid Nathan, hoping all of this would just disappear. After all, avoidance was something Brooke Davis knew how to do best.

"Right." He said, laughing bitterly. He walked closer to her, making sure they were only inches apart. "Well, let's get right to the pity sex, shall we?"

Brooke's mouth dropped. Was he serious? She pushed him away from her forcefully, "There you go with that great charm of yours! You're such an ass!" This time, she was the one to advance her movement, making her way towards him. "I care about you, whether you want to believe it or not! And I don't want to because it scares the hell out of me!" Her heart was pounding with each word.

"Then, what are you going to do about it?" He asked her, his voice suddenly calmer than it had been just seconds before.

She took in a deep breath; her breathing was somewhat unmanageable at this point from the yelling match that was going on between them. What _was _she going to do about it?

In that moment, without any hesitation, or much thought at all, she grabbed his face, bringing his lips down to hers in one, forceful motion.

After the shock subsided, Nathan quickly responded by deepening the kiss. He moved forward, pressing his body against her own.

She felt her shirt being raised, and Nathan's finger's rubbing her now exposed stomach, causing a shiver to run down her spine. He broke away from the kiss. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion. It was as if he were telling her to stop him now, because after that, there was no going back. She nodded before bringing her hands down to the rim of her shirt, and lifting it over her head.

He smiled slightly before moving her backwards, towards the bed. Once the back of her knees hit the bed, she lied down, taking him along with her.

He brought his lips down to her neck. She let out a soft moan as he sucked on her neck hungrily.

Maybe tomorrow she would wish things would have happened differently; but, at this very moment, there was no turning back, and that's exactly what she wanted.

**Please review and let me know what you think:)**


	14. No Good

**I hope I'm not completely hated! It's been awhile, and I'm really sorry! I wanted to get this chapter posted before I start back with classes, since my Spring Break is almost over. Hopefully it won't take me too long to update again, but it might, unfortunately. I really hope you like this chapter!**

Chapter 14: "No Good"

Brooke began to turn in her bed; her sleeping state was slowly fading as the shrill noise of her cell phone began to go off. She sat up, looking in every direction, trying to find her phone. It was then that it hit her, that the activities of last night weren't just in her head.

She got out of bed, grabbing the covers with her. Digging through the mess of clothes on the floor, she finally found her phone in the pocket of her cheerleading hoodie.

Her dad was calling. She hit the ignore button, not ready to deal with it. What was she going to do about this? Her father, and his _girlfriend_, were coming back tomorrow, and she and Nathan, well…they had their own things to deal with.

She looked up towards the bed noticing that Nathan was currently MIA. Shaking her head, she started putting on some clothes. _Figures. _She thought to herself.

As she got up to walk to the door, it began to open on its own. She stopped; she froze, actually. If Nathan had gotten up before her, she was thinking it was because he didn't want to face her; that he wanted her to figure it out herself that last night was just a usual occurrence in his life.

"Hey." He said quietly.

"Hey." She managed to get out before looking down to the floor and fiddling with the bottom of her shirt.

"I'm glad you're up." He said with a smile.

"Yeah?" She finally managed to look up at him. Her voice was soft, almost inaudible. It was like she was too afraid to make a harsh movement that would make the situation even worse.

"Yeah," He assured her. "Come here." He grabbed her hand and walked towards the kitchen.

_What was he going to do? Throw her out into the yard?_

As they reached their destination, Brooke saw two plates filled with bacon and pancakes; her mouth dropped slightly. "It's the only breakfast food I've seen you eat since you've been here, so..."

Seeing her expression, his words drifted off and changed, "I hope that's okay."

"You made me breakfast?" She honestly could not believe it. Even though Nathan had attempted to make her a meal once before, she thought for sure that he'd screw this up somehow…and maybe he would eventually. But, right now, she couldn't be happier.

He smiled, pulling her towards him. He placed his arms around her smaller frame and kissed her softly on the lips. "I made you breakfast."

She couldn't help but smile. "Well, have you ever made breakfast before? 'Cause, it better be good, or you're never getting laid again." Her smile grew wider as she joked with him.

"Well, in that case," He brought his hands to the sides of her face, "Maybe we should skip breakfast and get back to what we're good at."

"Hmm." She said as her lips touched his again. She pulled away, but only enough to speak; her lips still grazing his, "That sounds tempting."

He moved forward, "But, I'm starving!" She exclaimed, before pulling away from him and walking towards the table.

Nathan could only shake his head.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Brooke tossed her books into her locker, causing a loud thump. She had just had a not-so-pleasant conversation with her math teacher; she wasn't doing well in the class, to say the least.

Math had never been a strong subject for Brooke; she never thought she'd need it with all the computers and calculators that were always so very useful. Unfortunately for her, she was going to have to get a tutor, something she was too stubborn to do.

She slammed her locker door shut. "Bad day?" She heard someone say, causing her head to turn.

It was Nathan.

"You could say that." She said, with a loud sigh. "What brings you to my locker?"

"Just wanted to see if you needed someone to walk you to class."

She smiled slightly. "I would love that," She grabbed a bit of the front of his shirt, pulling herself somewhat closer to him, "But, I usually walk with Haley since we have it together."

He nodded understandingly. "Alright, well, I'll see you at home, then?"

"Yes, you will." Her smile grew wider, as she stepped closer, ready to kiss him goodbye; however, she stopped. Were they supposed to be affectionate at school? Her parents didn't know, and even though she was sure no one at school would ever talk to them about something like this, she felt conflicted.

Her eyes caught, what seemed like, millions of angry stares in her direction, and this caused her to back away quickly, catching Nathan to be caught off guard.

"You okay?" He asked.

She nodded slowly, "Yeah."

He quirked an eyebrow, not completely sure if he believed her.

"I'll see you at home." She added, once again, before backing away from him. She waved goodbye before turning herself around and walking in the opposite direction.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"You just walked away from him?" Haley asked, her mouth dropping slightly.

"It's not that big of a deal." Brooke said without hesitation.

"No, you're right. The big deal is the sex." She paused, waiting for Brooke's response, which was a glare. She continued, "And we will get to that in just a minute, by the way."

Brooke shook her head. "Look. It's weird, okay? Yes, I like him. But, how do I know that he isn't going to do a complete 180 when the 'happy phase' is over? I mean, you and I both know how he can be!" She rubbed her temples, the stress consuming her completely.

"But," Haley began.

"And besides, our parents are dating! They are in a serious committed relationship. I mean, I really like Nathan, I do." She let out a sigh, "It would just be so much easier if we didn't live together."

"Well, yeah, most couples in high school don't live under the same roof."

"Thanks for the support, Hales."

Haley laughed. "You like Nathan. He likes you. Everything will work out, and you know it."

Brooke shook her head once again. She looked over at their teacher who was about to start class, and then back at Haley, "If you tell me to 'just believe', I will smack you."

Haley stuck her tongue out at her friend before turning around in her seat.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

She waved goodbye to Haley as she got out of her car. Finally, the day was over and she could come home and relax…_maybe. _She knew she had to get over her fear of actually being happy with Nathan; unfortunately, the stronger her feelings, the stronger her fear.

As she walked up the driveway, she spotted her father's car sitting in the garage. She had to keep herself from dropping all of the books in her hands. They were back...a day early. She thought she had time to figure things out, but apparently, she was wrong...as usual.

She entered the kitchen, almost tripping over the bags by the door. _They must have just gotten back._

She watched as Nathan walked into the kitchen, a bag slung over his shoulder. "Hey." She said.

He walked completely past her, adding the bag to the collection on the floor. She furrowed her brow in confusion. "What's going on?"

"You wanted this!" She heard a female voice yell from the back of the house.

Her eyes widened slightly. Grabbing a hold of Nathan's arm, she asked once again, "What's going on?"

He looked down at her hand that was tightly connected with his arm. "My mom and I are moving out." He said, not allowing himself to look directly at her.

"What?" She said, almost breathlessly.

And, itt was then, at that very moment, that she dropped those books she was so intent on holding onto just seconds before she entered the house.

**Please review! Thanks for reading!**


	15. Missing You

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's been awhile, as usual. I haven't had a lot of inspiration for this story, so I hope the new chapter's okay! Thank you sooo much for all the reviews, I love reading them. **

Chapter 15: Missing You

It had been seven days since she'd talked to him; five since she last saw him. Brooke shut the door to Nathan's old room as she walked into the hallway. She found herself in there at least once a day, replaying the moments of their _one _night together. After he had informed her that he and Deb were moving out, he had walked out the door, leaving her stunned; which was, after all, ordinary Nathan Scott fashion.

Her father had been quiet for the past week, not wanting to give her all of the details. From what she had gathered, Deb wanted to get married, while her father still wasn't ready. He had definitely been headed in that direction until her mother had passed away. Brooke knew it was still very hard for him, even though they had divorced years ago.

He had talked to Deb on the phone since their breakup, but, of course, all their conversations ended in bickering matches that Brooke could hear from a distance.

Once she had reached the end of the hallway, she spotted her dad sitting in the kitchen on his laptop; she guessed he was doing something for work. "Hey, daddy." She said quietly as she walked closer to him.

He looked up quickly to smile slightly in her direction before his eyes went back to the screen. She sat down next to him, her hands folded over one another on the table in front of her. "How are you holding up?"

She hadn't dared asked him this before tonight; she knew her father and she knew how angry he could get when he didn't want to be bothered with certain matters. But, she also knew that he was hurting. "I'm fine, Brooke."

She smiled sadly remembering those words from when she was younger. The last time he had said something similar was when Brooke had spotted him one night in her parent's bedroom, holding several white papers. At the time, she had no idea what they were, but now she knew. He had small tears forming in his eyes, ones he quickly wiped away when he spotted her peeking into his room. She had asked him if he was okay and he had given her the same response he was giving her now, before shutting the door.

"Brooke." He said, jerking her out of her memories. "I have work to do."

She nodded before getting up from her seat. "Okay. I've got to meet up with Haley anyways." She walked towards the back door, turning one more time to look at her father. Instead of saying anything, the many thoughts that were racing through her mind, she nodded once more, this time to herself, and walked outside.

After getting into her car, she pulled at her cell phone, dialing the familiar number. "Hey," She paused, taking in a deep breath, "Can you meet me at the beach?" She asked as she turned her key in the ignition.

--

She checked the time on phone; she had been waiting for what seemed like forever. She was sitting on the stairs of the pier, facing the beach.

Hearing foot steps behind her, she turned her body to see the person standing behind her. "Hey." She whispered softly, her raspy voice almost inaudible.

"I was wondering when you were going to call."

She smiled to herself. "I was tired of waiting for you to call." She said, watching Nathan take a seat next to her. "Why haven't you?" She asked, bringing her face closer to his.

He sighed heavily before answering, "I've been busy helping my mom unpack, with school and basketball." He paused momentarily before adding, "We're staying at my grandparent's house."

She nodded, "I know. My dad told me."

He nodded too before quickly taking his eyes away in order to look anywhere but at her.

"Have you told your mom?"

He looked back at her, quirking his eyebrow slightly, in confusion. "Tell my mom about what?"

She rolled her eyes, which went unnoticed due to the darkness that surrounded them. "Us." She said simply.

He shook his head in response. "Have you told your dad?"

She shook her head also. "I want to keep it that way." This peaked Nathan's interest. "He's really hurting and the last thing I want to do is hurt him even more. He would just look at me like I was…" Her words drifted off, not even being able to imagine how much of an outcast she would be to her father.

"Right." He got up from his sitting position. Brooke's eyes darted back and forth over his, now visible, angry expression; she quickly got up as well, standing closely in front of him. "It's not like it's anything important anyways."

"Nathan." She said, trying to stop him.

"I get it, having feelings for a guy like me is the last thing that daddy dearest would want."

She sighed heavily, "Don't you understand how fucked up this situation is, Nathan?! Our parents dated, they lived together. To have their teenage children shack up right under their own roof is the last thing they need to know."

Nathan scoffed at her words.

"You think I want it to be this way? I miss you _every day_. And, I hate it." A single tear ran quickly down her cheek.

Not being able to see her tears, he looked away. The truth was, he hadn't gone a day without thinking about her. He knew exactly how long it had been since they had last talked or seen each other. He had seen her at her locker at school. She had Haley by her side as usual, and looked even more beautiful than she had when he had taken one last glance at her before walking out the door to their former home. It took everything he had to not walk over to her that day.

Finally, he finally looked down at her, darkness filling his light colored eyes, "I miss you too."

She smiled slightly. She knew those words were hard for him to admit, but she also knew that they were nothing but the truth. "So, what are we going to do?"

Instead of speaking, he brought his hand to the side of her face, rubbing his thumb gently against her damp cheek. "Well, I think I have a few suggestions." His voice was huskier than usual.

She smiled. "I'm serious." She brought her hand up to his, covering it gently.

"Me too." He said, smiling also. She rolled her eyes, causing his smile to fade. He brought his forehead to hers, wanting to be even closer. "I want to be with you, Brooke Davis." He said, seriously.

She kissed him softly, missing the feel of his lips on hers. "I want to be with you too." She said as she pulled away from him.

**NB happiness for once! And more to come…but it might not last for very long. Thanks for reading and ****please**** review! **


	16. The Last Song

**Hey everyone! I finally have had time to update. Thank you so much for all the reviews, please keep them coming! They help keep me inspired with this story, even though it may not look that way with the delayed updates. Life's been crazy, but I'm doing my best. I hope you all like the update. Thank you so much, once again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 16: The Last Song

After her last class of the day, Brooke walked to her locker to toss her books away and forget about everything involving school; well, at least for the next 16 hours. Things at home had been quiet. Her dad was still looking for another place for them to stay. Deb had actually gone to her parent's house since she knew kicking them out would have been hard for her and her dad to handle; however, her dad was looking to get out as soon as possible. He didn't want any pity, especially since he was mostly to blame for the break up.

Upon opening her locker, a small, white piece of paper fell out onto the floor, catching her attention. After placing her books inside her locker, she bent down to pick up the note. It read, _Meet me after you get done with practice. You know where. _Brooke couldn't help but smile. She turned her gaze towards the end of the hallway, spotting Nathan. He quirked an eyebrow before walking out the double doors placed directly behind him.

-----

After practice was done, Brooke got Haley to take her to meet Nathan. The boy's basketball team had been off for the day, and like always, Rachel insisted they still practice. Obviously, Rachel had been bitchier than ever due to her lack of interaction with Nathan for the past few weeks. However, Brooke was pretty sure Rachel had no idea there was something going on between her and Nathan. But then again, Brooke was not too worried; she never was when it came to Rachel.

She spotted Nathan standing in the middle of the basketball court placed directly in the center of the river court. He stopped bouncing the ball after feeling her eyes on him.

"Hey, you." Her words were slightly louder than usual due to the distance between them. She walked towards him slowly, never taking her eyes off of him.

He smiled in response before bending down to kiss her lightly on the lips once she was directly in front of him.

Before he could pull away, she took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. She had missed this feeling; the feeling that only somehow Nathan, of all people, was able to give her.

Breaking the contact, she sighed contently as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hi." He said, finally allowing himself to speak. She let out a raspy laugh before lifting her body into his arms, hoping he would quickly grab hold of her; which, he did.

She now, elevated body, towered slightly over him. She stared down at him, her eyes often wandering from his eyes to his lips, continuously. "So, Mr. Scott, why did you ask me to come here?"

He titled his head back even more so that he could take in her entire face. "Well, I think this is probably one of the few places that our parents would come. And, I wanted to have some alone time with you."

Her smile grew wider with each word. "Oh, really?" She asked as she bit down on her bottom lip in a flirtatious manner. She placed her hand against his cheek, rubbing her thumb gently across it. "I think I can manage that."

He smiled at her words. _Boy, did she love that smile_.

-----

"So, why were you so rude to me when I first moved in?" Brooke asked randomly. She and Nathan were sitting on the ground; Nathan's body leaning against one of the larger trees surrounding the court, her body leaning against his chest.

"What?" He sounded somewhat surprised at her question.

She leaned her head back until it hit his shoulder; she wanted to be able to see his face. "I never asked you." Shrugging, she continued, "You said, ever since I moved in, you wanted to be with me. But, you were so cold to me."

"Defense mechanism." Was all he said.

Rolling her eyes, she turned around to look at him. "That's the best you can do?"

He sighed heavily. He knew, somehow, this day would come even though he hoped it wouldn't. He, obviously, didn't like letting his guard down, and that's what he had been doing with Brooke the entire time. He should be used to it by now; however, he wasn't. "I guess I didn't like how strong my feelings were for you even before I knew you. I haven't felt like this in....", He paused collecting his thought, "Well, actually, I've never felt like this before."

Brooke couldn't help but smile, and also agree with his words.

"I cared about Taylor a lot. And at first, my feelings for you – all they did was remind me of how hard things were with Taylor. But then, it all turned into something more, something I wasn't prepared for." She nodded, urging him to continue, "I blamed you for it. And even though I tried to push whatever it was that I was feeling, aside, I couldn't. So, I just gave in."

"Well, I'm glad you did." Brooke said before giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

His eyes remained closed a little longer than usual. Once he opened them, he saw Brooke staring back at him, her expression somewhat confused. "I want to be with you, Brooke."

"I want to be with you, too." She said quietly. She took a moment to declare her feelings before stating the obvious, "But, didn't we already have this discussion?"

He shook his head slightly. "I mean, publicly."

"Me, too. But, it's not that simple. You know that."

Nathan let out a frustrated sigh. "Maybe it is." His voice was somewhat hopeful. "Our parents have been broken up for about a month now. We can act like this is something new, not something that happened while we were living together."

"Nathan…"

"This can work, Brooke, I know it."

As she stared into his eyes, all she saw was hope. Hope that they could pull this off, hope that they could actually be together whenever they wanted and not have to hide it. She wanted everything he did, and even though she knew that not everything would be okay, a part of her didn't care. "Ok." She placed her forehead against his and sighed slightly, in defeat. "We'll tell them."

-----

"Dad!" Brooke yelled as she walked inside the house. She and Nathan had decided it would be better if they told their parents together; first stop, Brooke's dad. She gave Nathan's hand a tight squeeze before letting go.

"In here." She heard from the kitchen.

The couple walked into the kitchen quietly; her dad was sitting at the kitchen table, his laptop open in front of him. He took a moment to look up, his eyes widened slightly at the sight of Nathan. "Nathan." He said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

Looking at Brooke quickly, he turned his gaze fully to Mr. Davis, "Just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing."

Mr. Davis looked quite shocked to hear those words coming from Nathan's mouth. He nodded slowly, somewhat confused.

Brooke took the opportunity to chime in, "Dad, I have something I need to tell you."

"So do I." He said.

"What?" She asked; his words caught her off guard.

"We're moving." Was all he said.

"Oh, you found us a house? Where?"

"Chapel Hill."

Brooke's mouth dropped slightly; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nathan's do the same. "Wait, what? Chapel Hill....as in the city?"

Her dad nodded enthusiastically. "I got a job offer. We're moving."

_Moving_. The word hit her like a ton of bricks. She looked at Nathan, who slowly turned to look her way.

_This can't be happening. _

And yet, it was.

**Please review!! :)**


	17. Battlefield

**Sorry it has taken me so long to update, once again. I hope I still have a few readers left! Thank you so much for all the reviews. They mean the world to me, as I am always saying. I cannot say thank you enough. I have loved writing this story and am sad to say the next chapter will probably be the last. Don't worry though; I already have a new idea for a story, which I am going to try to write a lot of before I post so I can update more frequently. Anyways, thank you all again, and enjoy!**

**Chapter 17: Battlefield  
**

"But, Dad…" She paused, her mouth dropping slightly. She was still taking all of this in and she didn't know exactly what to do. She was _leaving_. "I like it here." Her words were slow and her raspy voice spoke in a soft whisper.

"Brooke." He brought his hand to her shoulder in a somewhat, affectionate gesture. "You're going to like Chapel Hill, too." His lips curved into a smile, adding, "I promise."

She shook her head, trying to fight the tears that were forming. She hadn't dared to look at Nathan at all since her father broke the news. She knew if she did, it just might break _her_. "I have friends here." Her voice cracked at her words.

Finally, bringing her attention to the boy standing next to her, the tears she was so intent on fighting finally began to fall. Forcing her eyes away, she looked back at her dad, continuing, "People I care about are here."

His smiling features soon turned into a frown as he looked at his daughter. He had no idea why she was getting so upset; he hadn't seen her this way since her mother had past. "There's no need to get so upset, Brooke. This move will be good for us; for me. Especially after all that has happened…and besides, you're young. You'll be able to make new friends in no time."

"But-"

"No, Brooke. Now, stop it." He grabbed the laptop that had been holding his attention before Brooke and Nathan had interrupted him. "We're moving, and that's final." And with that, he exited the kitchen, tension filling the air.

Brooke closed her eyes, the pain that filled her fathers eyes as he spoke to her began to take over her. The split with Deb had really taken a toll on him, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Brooke could see it; everyone could. However, tonight, as she looked at him, she saw it even more. Her father longed to get away, which is why he was so adamant about the move.

As much as she hated to admit it, she knew what she had to do, regardless of how badly it hurt.

-----

"What are we going to do?" Nathan finally asked, after what seemed like hours of silence. They stood outside the house, on the driveway.

Brooke remained silent, slightly pacing back and forth. She had yet to look at Nathan since the few seconds her eyes met his in the kitchen during the "discussion".

Nathan grabbed a hold of her, not being able to take the silent treatment any longer. His strong hands forced her to finally look at him. "Brooke." He said, sternly.

"What?" Was all she could muster up the courage to say.

"What are we going to do?" He repeated, fully believing that she had zoned out, unable to hear him at the time; however, this was anything but true. She had heard him, but had wished she hadn't. _We_. The word killed her inside. It was the two of them, with one moving to a completely different city.

"Nothing." She whispered, a single tear streaming down her face. What could they possibly do? They were two kids in high school. Whether she liked it or not, her father called the shots. He was all she had left. So much pain had consumed him, and it terrified her. She couldn't beg him to stay when she knew just how much he needed to leave.

"Nothing?" Nathan asked, his voice had a confused undertone, and his facial expression revealed sadness. He brought his hands up to the appropriate sides of her face, making sure her eyes stayed with his. "I can't lose you."

And on key, the tears fell even more second by second; this time, she knew they wouldn't let up anytime soon. Pushing out of his grasp, she moved away from him. "What do you want from me, Nathan?" Her voice was rising with each word. "I'm moving…._Moving. _And there's nothing we can do about it."

"We can tell your dad about us. Maybe he'll change his mind."

Brooke couldn't help but laugh at the stupidity of his words. "You really think that's going to work? He finds out his only daughter and his ex-girlfriend's son slept together while they were, in fact, still together! Yeah, Nathan, he's really going to support our relationship."

Nathan shook his head, his temper quickly rising as she spoke to him in a very condescending tone; however, he refused to raise his voice like she had resorted to doing. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Then what do you suppose we tell him?"

He smiled slightly to himself before moving forward, in her direction.

Her heart began to pound even harder with every step he took, not knowing what exactly he was going to do. And then, he finally reached her, her skin tingling, like always, as he brought his right hand to the left side of her face.

"That, I love you."

Her teary eyes, widened.

She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to say she loved him, too, a thousand times over, but, yet, she couldn't. It would just make things even more complicated than they already were.

Grabbing his hand from her cheek, she brought it down slowly until it reached his side, and then released her grasp.

His eyes watched her movement, intently, as he feared the words that were about to escape her lips.

"You shouldn't have fallen in love with me." She walked away from him abruptly, towards the house; refusing to look back.

Nathan slammed his fist down into his car that was parked beside him.

Unbeknownst to him, he and Brooke had been anything but alone, outside.

-----

She hadn't slept; she couldn't. All she did was toss and turn, playing her conversation with Nathan over and over again as if it were a scene in a movie that was forever being put on rewind.

She loved him, more than he would ever know. And it scared her how quickly she had fallen for him, and him for her.

But, she also loved her father. After losing her mother, she made a promise that she would do whatever she could to keep her father with her. "Mom." She unconsciously spoke out into the darkness that filled her room.

Her mind went back to a moment she shared with her mother when she was younger, around the age twelve.

"_Baby, can you set that box in my room for me?" Her mother asked as she walked into their new, smaller home, after leaving Tree Hill._

"_Sure." Was all she mumbled before doing as she was asked. Once inside the bedroom, she put the box on her mother's bed. She could see several picture frames inside the box, peaking her interest. _

_Upon opening the box, she was consumed with images of her father and mother, happily in love. As usual, she fought back tears that surfaced. Dropping all frames but one, back into the box, she exited the room, finding her mother in the exact same location._

"_What happened with you and dad?" She asked abruptly, causing her mother to bring her attention to her, rather quickly._

"_Brooke…" Her mother warned her, spotting the picture frame in her smaller hands._

"_I don't ever want to fall in love if this is what happens in the end." She dropped the picture, angrily before walking quickly to her new, empty bedroom._

_Brooke's mom quickly followed suit, making her way towards her room. Upon entering, she found Brooke sitting on the floor, Indian style; she mimicked her actions. "I never want to hear you say that again, do you understand?"_

_Brooke's bowed head and slumped shoulders straightened. "Why? I never want to end up like you and dad…always fighting and miserable. Were you __ever__ happy?"_

_Her mother smiled at her question. "Yes, very."_

"_Then why aren't you together anymore?" Brooke began to cry with this question, the pain of her parent's separation was too much for her._

"_Because sometimes people fall out of love."_

_Brooke shook her head, causing her mother to add. "It's hard, baby. But you know what helps me sometimes? Thinking about all the happiness I shared with your father." Brooke was silent, so she continued, "Love can be a great thing, but it can also be messy and complicated. That's how you know its love, though. It doesn't make sense, but yet it does. It hurts, but it's also the best feeling you'll ever experience." She took a deep breath, "Even if I knew what I know now, I still wouldn't have done anything differently. Love always has a happy ending, whatever shape or form that might be, and whether you see it or not."_

_Brooke smiled sadly._

"_Look at my ending." Brooke's mom suggested._

"_You're divorced, Mom. That's what love brought you."_

_Her mother laughed before shaking her head slowly. "No." She moved closer to her child, pulling her into a hug. "Love brought me you."_

The tears Brooke thought would be long gone by now, began to come again. Just as she sat up to grab a tissue from her bedside table, a knock on the door interrupted her.

Her eyes moved from the door, to the clock beside her, reading 1:30 A.M. Quirking an eyebrow, she spoke loudly without a second thought, "Come in."

**Please review!! ******


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